Presenting…
CAL POLY ROSE FLOAT’s 77th float
Presenting JUNGLE JUMPSTART, our 77th annual Rose Float Parade float! Emitting the theme of TEAMWORK from it’s conception! With the idea and concept and art work once again completed exclusively by students. Two in particular from Cal Poly Pomona,… Zander Derenard, a 4th year mechanical engineering student who created the original concept of this years float . As well as John Pham a 4th year mechanical engineering student who collaborated with all departments of the program to further develop Zanders concept into the colorful masterpiece you see before you. All of this is made possible through the donations, your support, and most of all student efforts. Keep a look out, get excited, and on January 1st you’ll see this idea that began on a piece of paper come to life and Jumpstart your day.
CAL POLY POMONA PRESS RELEASE:
Cal Poly Pomona’s very own team took notice of our float and this is what they had to say…
Cal Poly universities’ 77th Parade float, “Jungle Jumpstart,” explores the 2026 Rose Parade theme “The Magic in Teamwork” by portraying the dynamics between nature and technology through the story of a rainforest community coming together to restore their robot friend with what they know best – the jungle!
The only student-designed and student-built float in the Rose Parade, “Jungle Jumpstart” is a joint effort between students at Cal Poly Pomona and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, who collaborate on all aspects of the float despite being separated by 250 miles.
The animal engineers include a frog, monkey, giant jaguar, lemurs, and a toucan who use their different skills, illustrating the beautiful outcomes that can be achieved when technology and nature work together in harmony. With some inspiring teamwork, the robot flickers alive. In thanks, the robot lifts a vibrant macaw into the sky, helping it take flight.
The robot’s spare parts can also have a new life, repurposed to create a habitat for birds making a home in the fallen tree’s stump. The new rainforest robo-parts as well as the robot’s open chest cavity also feed the diverse rainforest, creating new spots for jungle plants to thrive.
Creating a Rose Parade float requires year-round dedication from the two teams of about 75 students and hundreds more who assist in labs. Their Learn by Doing process includes building and designing the mechanical, drive and animation systems; welding structural supports and shaping design elements; testing decorative materials; and sheeting, foaming and painting all before the students can begin adding final design elements.
You can read more about us on Cal Poly Pomona’s website HERE
Cal Poly Rose Float’s 77th float is now under construction!
TEAMWORK! This first half of the year, Rose Float has hard at work imagining, developing, and preparing for this year's Pasadena Tournament of Roses Rose Parade. The selection of this year's float concept has been followed up with several vital meetings between SLO and Pomona. At these meetings, our departments have been achieving their own goals with Design and Construction developing the physical shape of the float, Operations showing off their marketing skills designing new merch, and Decorations planting and harvesting some of the materials that will bring the float to life! BUT that’s not it for the summer… lab days already taking place and construction of the float HAS BEGUN!
Pasadena Tournament of Roses 137th parade theme!
“The Magic in Teamwork”
“The theme celebrates the sense of accomplishment in knowing that by working together, we can collectively achieve outcomes so much richer than we can ever experience as individuals.”
For the last 76 years, Cal Poly Rose Float has truly demonstrated the Magic In Teamwork! Despite the over 200 miles of separation between them, CPRF students from the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Cal Poly Pomona campuses are in constant collaboration with one another. From planning meetings to those late nights decorating in Pasadena, we are always celebrating our togetherness and our unifying goal: constructing, designing, and decorating another award-winning float!
This will be Cal Poly Universities 77th entry and will cruise down Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena, California as part of the 137th Rose Parade which will be held on Jan. 1, 2026.
The concept of the 77th float for 2026 will be revealed by Pomona and San Luis Obispo campus press releases in the Fall.
Direct Donations through Amazon!
Cal Poly Rose Float’s success depends on the support of our wonderful community of students, alumni, volunteers, faculty/staff, vendors, donors, and more. One of the many ways to support our team is donations through our Amazon Wishlists. You will find specific materials needed by our different departments that can be directly donated to our facilities. To access all lists from each department at once, sign into your Amazon account. Thank you for all of your support!
What is Cal Poly Rose FLoat?
Cal Poly Rose Float is a joint effort between Cal Poly Pomona and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo universities to enter a student-built float in the annual Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association’s Rose Parade. Both Cal Poly Pomona and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are the two designated Polytechnic universities within the 23-campus California State University System (the largest four-year public university system in the U.S.).
Since 1949, Cal Poly Rose Float has continuously designed, built, financed, and decorated the float-entry in the annual Parade. Over the last 74 years, Cal Poly Rose Float has been awarded a total of 61 awards/trophies (about 83% of all participating years).
More importantly, Cal Poly Rose Float has been a tremendous leader in the introduction of new technology to the Parade. This includes the first use of:
Hydraulics for animation in 1968.
Computer-controlled animation in 1978.
Fiber optics in 1982.
Animated decorations in 2014.
Color-changing floral effect in 2017.
This program is one of the longest consecutive running self-built entries in the parade, as well as the only "student self-built" float designed and constructed entirely by students year-round on two campuses. They compete against professional float builders who manufacture entries for sponsors, many of them with development budgets approaching $1 million. This tradition continues today and marks the partnership between the two campuses.
VIDEO: It's a 130-year-old tradition - the Rose Parade on New Year's Day.
VIDEO: Learn how California State University students from different campuses and majors worked together over a 13-month span to create an award-winning 70th entry in the 2018 Rose Parade Tournament of Roses, an annual affair that attracted millions of worldwide spectators.
