Louisiana float to be featured in 2024 Rose Parade

For the third year in a row, a float dedicated to Louisiana will roll down the streets of Pasadena, California, in the 2024 Tournament of Roses Parade.

Next year, Louisiana will be celebrating Mardi Gras a month early at the annual parade. The official state float will be covered in purple, green, and gold. A larger-than-life Mardi Gras jester will tower over fleur de lis designs, flower-filled vases, and rows of second line-inspired umbrellas.

About 100 Louisiana volunteers put up the float's finishing touches and, in the process, installed 130,000 roses in just three days, according to a news release.

An artist's rendering shows Louisiana's Celebration Riverboat float for the 2023 Rose Parade in Pasadena, California.

Parade organizers said that, in a world full of people with various backgrounds, beliefs, and aspirations, there is one thing that brings us all together: music. The Tournament of Roses Parade will honor this with their theme “Celebrating a World of Music: The Universal Language.”

“What better place than Louisiana to highlight the world of music and Mardi Gras?” Billy Nungesser—the Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana—said. “We’re looking forward to another award-winning float with unprecedented exposure to Louisiana and all our great state has to offer.”

Details on the mid-parade performance hosted by Louisiana will be released in the near future.

Louisiana’s involvement in the parade has been a big success in the last two years, the Assistant Secretary of Tourism Doug Bourgeois said. At the 2022 and 2023 parades, the state’s participation attracted about four billion viewers. While having earned nearly $39.2 million in media advertising value, Louisiana’s floats have also won multiple awards for showmanship and entertainment.

“This is a great opportunity to reach the world with all of the ways you can Feed Your Soul in Louisiana,” Bourgeois said. “We want to share that opportunity and shine a spotlight on every corner of the state.”

The 2024 Louisiana float is aiming to win the parade's top award: the Sweepstakes Prize. The award is given to a float that displays beautiful design, floral presentation, and entertainment.

The Rose Parade will take place on January 1, 2024, at 8 a.m. P.S.T. You can watch the 132-year-old celebration on ABC, NBC, and Peacock.

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Louisiana welcomed nearly 42.6 million visitors in 2022, Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser said Wednesday, up from the last two years but still well below pre-COVID-19 levels.

Louisiana's Rose Parade entry of a colorful riverboat parade float, the "Celebration Riverboat," was awarded the Showmanship Award at the 2023 Rose Parade.

The steamboat-syled float carried a spinning paddle-wheel and 21 fair and festival queens.