Cal Poly Universities’ will debut its 71st rose float on Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019 at the Rose Parade. Here are the seven things you should know about this year’s entry.
- “Far Out Frequencies” is the 2019 Rose Parade float by students at Cal Poly Pomona and Cal Poly San Luis Luis Obispo. The float features astronauts Morgan and Sally playing musical instruments with green aliens, sharing a message of goodwill.
- The 2019 Rose Parade begins at 8 a.m. on Jan. 1 in Pasadena. The parade is broadcast live on ABC, KTLA5, NBC and other stations. Cal Poly Pomona’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts will also have photos and video on New Year’s Day.
- The Cal Poly Universities’ Float is 48 feet long, 23 feet high and 18 feet wide. The Pomona team built the front half of the pod, and the San Luis Obispo students constructed the back. The two halves were joined together in October. Watch a video of construction work.
- More than 90 percent of the flowers on Far Out Frequencies were grown in California, from San Diego County to Humboldt County and including both Cal Poly campuses. Some of the materials include cushion mums and dried marigold for the astronaut suits and stripes, as well as seaweed and rice powder for the aliens’ eyes. Watch a video of students blending dried ingredients for the float.
- It took about six hours for the float to travel from Cal Poly Pomona to the Rosemont Pavilion in Pasadena, where it will reside through Dec. 31.
- A news article in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin explains what it takes to get the float to the parade. (Subscription may be required.)
- This is one of the final years Cal Poly Pomona students will build the float in their current lab. A new Rose Float Lab and Design Complex is scheduled to open in 2020. The new facility will be fully enclosed, have additional storage space and new equipment.
Learn about the Design and Construction process: Hands On Learning Extends to Creating Alien Landscapes