A float is a decorated platform, either built on a
vehicle
A vehicle (from la, vehiculum) is a machine that transports people or cargo. Vehicles include wagons, bicycles, motor vehicles (motorcycles, cars, trucks, buses, mobility scooters for disabled people), railed vehicles (trains, trams), ...
like a
truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructi ...
or towed behind one, which is a component of many festive
parades, such as those of
Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, the
Carnival in São Paulo, the
Carnival of Viareggio
The Carnival of Viareggio ( it, Carnevale di Viareggio) is a carnival event annually held in the Tuscan city of Viareggio, in Italy. It is considered amongst the most renowned carnival celebrations in both Italy and Europe.
Overview
Its main ...
, the
Maltese Carnival
Carnival (Maltese: ''il-Karnival ta' Malta'') has had an important place on the Maltese cultural calendar for just under five centuries, having been celebrated since at least the mid-15th century. Carnival has been a prominent celebration in the I ...
, the
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the U.S.-based department store chain Macy's. The Parade first took place in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States with ...
, the
Key West Fantasy Fest
Fantasy Fest is a street party held annually in the last week of October in Key West, Florida.
History
Fantasy Fest was initiated in 1979 by Bill Conkle, Tony Falcone, Joe Liszka and Frank Romano to attract tourists during the slow season. In ...
parade, the
Mardi Gras in New Orleans
The holiday of Mardi Gras is celebrated in all of Louisiana, including the city of New Orleans. Celebrations are concentrated for about two weeks before and through Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday (the start of lent in the Western C ...
, the
500 Festival Parade in Indianapolis, the United States Presidential Inaugural Parade, and the
Tournament of Roses Parade
A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:
# One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
. For the latter event, floats are decorated entirely in
flowers
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...
or other plant material.
Float history
Parade floats were first introduced in the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
. Churches used
pageant wagon
A pageant wagon is a movable stage or wagon used to accommodate the mystery and miracle play cycles of the 10th through the 16th century. These religious plays were developed from biblical texts; at the height of their popularity, they were allo ...
s as movable scenery for passion plays, and craftsmen with artisan guilds built pageant wagons for their specified craft. The wagons were pulled throughout the town, most notably during
Corpus Christi in which up to 48 wagons were used, one for each play in the Corpus Christi cycle.
They are so named because the first floats were decorated
barge
Barge nowadays generally refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but nowadays most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels ...
s on the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...
for the
Lord Mayor's Show
The Lord Mayor's Show is one of the best-known annual events in London as well as one of the longest-established, dating back to the 13th century. A new lord mayor is appointed every year, and the public parade that takes place as his or her in ...
.
Largest
The largest float ever exhibited in a parade was a entry in the 2012
Tournament of Roses Parade
A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:
# One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
that featured
Tillman the skateboarding bulldog (and some of his friends) surfing in an ocean of water. The water tank held over on a float weighing more than .
[ It broke the previous record for the longest single-chassis parade float, which was set in 2010 by the same sponsor.
The dogs trained for three months prior to the float's debut at the Tournament of Roses Parade on January 2, 2012. A specially designed “wave” machine was incorporated into the design of the float which created a wave every minute.]
Tournament of Roses
Members of Pasadena's Valley Hunt Club
The Valley Hunt Club is a private social club located in Pasadena, California, that is most noted for starting the Tournament of Roses Parade in 1890.
Its members were former residents of the East and Midwest eager to showcase their new home's mil ...
first staged the Tournament of Roses Parade in 1890. Many of the members of the Valley Hunt Club were former residents of the American East
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...
and Midwest. They wished to showcase their new California homes' mild winter weather. At a club meeting, Professor Charles F. Holder announced, "In New York, people are buried in the snow. Here our flowers are blooming and our oranges are about to bear. Let's hold a festival to tell the world about our paradise."
And so the Club organized horse-drawn carriages covered in flowers, followed by foot races, polo matches, and a game of tug-of-war on the town lot. They attracted a crowd of 2000 to the event. Upon seeing the scores of flowers on display, the Professor decided to suggest the name "Tournament of Roses."
Battle of Flowers
The Battle of Flowers parade is in San Antonio, Texas is the only parade in the United States produced entirely by women, all of whom are volunteers. The parade is the oldest event and largest parade of Fiesta San Antonio
Fiesta San Antonio (or simply "Fiesta") is an annual festival held in April in San Antonio, Texas, and is the city's signature event (along with some events held in the following surrounding cities: Boerne, Schertz, Windcrest, Balcones Heights ...
. The original purpose of the parade was to honor the heroes of the Alamo. In keeping with this tradition, participants are asked to place a flower tribute on the lawn of the Alamo as they pass by.
Dutch flower parades
In the Netherlands, flower parades (called 'Bloemencorso
''Bloemencorso'' (a Dutch word) means " flower parade", "flower pageant" or "flower procession". In a parade of this kind the floats (''praalwagens''), cars and (in some cases) boats are magnificently decorated or covered in flowers. This custom ...
') are a popular tradition. The small country holds some 30 parades, large and small. The world's largest flower parade
is held every year on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month in Zundert
Zundert () is a municipality and town in the south of the Netherlands bordering Belgium, in the province of North Brabant.
Zundert is the birthplace of post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh.
History
The name of Zundert is first mentione ...
, a small town in the south of the Netherlands. In Zundert, and most other Dutch parades, floats are built entirely by volunteers, where hamlets compete with each other to build the most beautiful float, judged by an independent jury. Most Dutch flower parades are held in August and September and use mainly dahlia flowers. The dahlia fields are kept by volunteers as well.
Floats in popular culture
The climax of the movie ''Animal House
''National Lampoon's Animal House'' is a 1978 American comedy film directed by John Landis and written by Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney and Chris Miller. It stars John Belushi, Peter Riegert, Tim Matheson, John Vernon, Verna Bloom, Thomas Hu ...
'' (1978) features the protagonists from the title fraternity
A fraternity (from Latin language, Latin ''wiktionary:frater, frater'': "brother (Christian), brother"; whence, "wiktionary:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal ...
surreptitiously launching their own float into a parade featuring legitimate entries from many of their rivals. The float, a giant decorated cake adorned with the words "Eat Me," later splits open to reveal the parade-destroying "Deathmobile" inside.
In ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off
''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' is a 1986 American teen comedy film written, co-produced, and directed by John Hughes and co-produced by Tom Jacobson. The film stars Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, and Alan Ruck with supporting roles by Jennifer ...
'' (1986) the titular character jumps onto a float during a parade and sings several karaoke
Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music i ...
numbers to the crowd.
In the 2011 film ''Rio
Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil.
Rio or Río may also refer to:
Geography Brazil
* Rio de Janeiro
* Rio do Sul, a ...
'' the titular character uses the Rio Carnival as a decoy to smuggle his bird friends to the airport so they can escape.
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the U.S.-based department store chain Macy's. The Parade first took place in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States with ...
features in several films including ''Miracle on 34th Street
''Miracle on 34th Street'' (initially released as ''The Big Heart'' in the United Kingdom) is a 1947 American Christmas comedy-drama film released by 20th Century Fox, written and directed by George Seaton and based on a story by Valentine Davi ...
'' (1947) and its remakes as well as the 2016 version of ''Ghostbusters''.
See also
*Torcida Jovem
The Torcida Jovem () are a ''torcida organizada'', or supporters' group, for Santos FC, a Brazilian professional football club based in Santos, Brazil. Founded in 1969 by a group of fans from São Paulo, the group set out to make it a goal to at ...
* Lovemobile, a specific float with a sound equipment, a DJ or other live act and dancers, which is used as a central element at technoparades
*Tournament of Roses floats
Tournament of Roses Parade floats are flower-covered parade floats, used in the annual New Year's Day Tournament of Roses Parade held in Pasadena, California. They evolved from flower-decorated horse carriages with the present day requirement that ...
References
External links
Torcida Jovem of Santos FC School of Samba
Yama, Hoko, Yatai, float festivals in Japan
( :ja:山・鉾・屋台行事) - UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
Intangible Heritage
* :ja:山車(Dasi)
{{Authority control
Parades
Tournament of Roses
pt:Escola de samba#Alegorias e adereços