Rising Together”: A Rose Parade Float Will Put Wildfire Survivors in the Spotlight

A Rose Parade float to honor Eaton and Palisades survivors

Organizers of the 137th Rose Parade announced that a new float, called “Rising Together,” will carry survivors of last year’s Eaton and Palisades wildfires during the parade on Jan. 1, 2026. The float will give people directly affected by the blazes a place of honor on the parade route in Pasadena, and it will be presented by Honda (HMC). Communities from both fire zones — including families, volunteer firefighters and local recovery groups — will be represented on the float.

The announcement makes a public ritual out of a private, painful year for many residents. Instead of a commercial message, organizers say the float is intended as a communal moment: a public recognition of loss, a celebration of rebuilding, and a chance for survivors to stand where the country will be watching.

Design and symbolism: flowers, movement and a message of rebuilding

“Rising Together” is built to read like a small stage on wheels. Organizers describe a layered design that moves from charred earth to green shoots: the back of the float will be darker, with textured materials meant to suggest burned trunks, while the front will bloom with brighter flowers and living plants. Designers plan to use roses and other local blooms to create gradients of color that echo renewal.

Floral artists are also planning living elements — small trees and shrubs that symbolically point toward regrowth. Volunteers who have been part of recovery efforts will be on the float for short choreographed moments: people will plant a symbolic sapling together, lift banners with messages from neighbors, and release biodegradable confetti to mark the passage from loss to rebuilding. The choreography is meant to be quiet and deliberate, not theatrical, so the focus stays on the people rather than spectacle.

Organizers say the floral choices and the staged movements are meant to echo everyday forms of recovery: slow, steady and often done with your hands in the dirt. The float’s palette and motions are designed to make that idea visible on a national stage.

Voices from the towns: what riding on the float means to survivors and volunteers

For many of the people invited to ride, the float is less about publicity and more about being seen by neighbors and loved ones. Maria Alvarez, who lost her home in the Eaton fire, said, “It still feels strange to talk about a parade after what we went through, but this is a way to say we are still here. When I stand on that float, I won’t be representing a tragedy — I’ll be representing what comes after it.”

Josh Kramer, a volunteer firefighter who worked long shifts during the Palisades blaze, said the moment will be important for the crews too. “We don’t usually get a chance to be recognized like this. It’s quiet appreciation, but it matters. My partners and I want our neighbors to know we’re still here helping rebuild.”

Also riding will be local community leaders and volunteers who organized food drives, temporary housing, and debris clean-up. One community organizer described the float as a way to honor people whose work is usually invisible: “You don’t get medals for hauling wet insulation at dawn, but you do get a community that remembers. That’s what the float is for.”

Partners, logistics and how the public can support survivors

The float is being presented by Honda (HMC) and coordinated with the Pasadena Tournament of Roses and local recovery groups. It will travel the traditional Rose Parade route along Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, appearing in the main procession on New Year’s morning. Exact placement in the appearance order was not available at the time of the announcement; organizers say they will publish the lineup closer to the event.

Alongside the float, there will be fundraising and awareness efforts organized by local nonprofits and community groups. Those activities are expected to include charity drives, donation stations at related events, and volunteer sign-ups for ongoing recovery projects. Readers who want to help are encouraged to look for local relief funds and community foundations working directly in the Eaton and Palisades areas, to attend nearby benefit events, or to lend time to volunteer clean-up and rebuilding programs. Organizers stress that sustained, local support often matters more than one-time donations.

Background: the Eaton and Palisades fires and the long work of recovery

The Eaton and Palisades fires last year displaced hundreds of families and damaged public infrastructure, leaving many towns facing a long rebuild. Recovery has included clearing debris, repairing roads and utilities, and providing temporary housing for those who could not return home. The float is meant to mark progress without pretending the work is over; organizers and survivors alike describe it as a milestone, not a finish line.

For communities that endured the flames, a parade float may seem small. But for people who spent months at shelters or working to salvage what remained of their lives, the public recognition brings something practical and psychological: attention that can translate into donations, volunteers, and political attention — and a clear signal that the wider public remembers and cares.

On Jan. 1, the national audience that watches the Rose Parade will see those towns not as anonymous disaster zones but as places with faces, stories and active recovery. For the people riding “Rising Together,” that visibility is the point.

Sources

• prnewswire.com