Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
We have a ski boat we will be entering in a 4th of July boat parade this summer. The parade theme this year is "Our Children". Any great decorating ideas?
A CHildren of the World theme might be nice, with lots of children in different traditional dress, like the Disney theme park. If you can't have children or costumes, then cool cut outs.
I would have pictures of happy children, of all ages and races. I would also have them surrounded by loving adults.
We are a line dancing group and are going to be in a town parade with the theme "Timeless Traditions". We have a 2 level flatbed and always put a theme on the highest level while we dance on the lowest level while traveling the parade route. Any ideas? I was thinking on the lines of family based?
By Wendy K
I am looking for float ideas for a veterinary practice, the theme is " All I want For Christmas". Thank you.
By E.F
Picture this: The cardboard or wood front of a house,(painted to look like the front of a house,) yellowish, warm windows, with a dad, mom, and girl, and boy out front of the house, walking toward the entrance of the house. Show some picket fence, at least on one side, if not two sides.
The girl cutout is holding a kitten/or puppy cutout, and the boy has a puppy/or dog on a leash, cutout. Mom/Dad could be holding the kitten/puppy/dog/cat, bunny, also, entering the warm, inviting house with the picket fence. Or, they could be shown entering an apartment, etc.,
"All I Want For Christmas is my two front teeth!" You could focus on the dental services and have big poster board depictions of cartoon animals flashing their whitey teeth.
Any ideas for a parade float for a veterinary hospital with the theme "Honoring Those Who Serve"? Thanks.
By ValNR from NY
Perhaps you could somehow incorporate the idea of K9s? I used to "adopt" deployed soldiers, and I know they had dogs with them.
I recently read an article on a website about adopting out retired K9 army dogs. We are thinking right now maybe incorporate them, plus other service animals (seizure dogs/cats, seeing eye dogs, search and rescue, canine good citizen) and decorating the float to look like a dog.
There is kiddie parade coming up with the theme "Unforgettable Memories". Any ideas for a float?
By Alex from Hillsboro, IL
My first thought was dressing them like old tv show characters such as Darla, Alfalfa and Spanky from The Little Rascals, Howdy Doody, Gilligan and Skipper from Gilligan's Island, Scooby Doo and Shaggy, etc. You could make face masks of the real actors who portrayed them and have them on paddles or dowels so the person could just hold them up over their faces and then dress in character.
A few thoughts to kick start your imagination.
"A Day At The Beach" - white sand, palm trees, beach umbrella, sandcastles, beach towels, beach toys, beach ball, seashells
"Playground Fun" - grass, see-saw, swing, hula hoop, picinic blanket & basket, kite flying
"Playing Dress-Up" - gowns, wigs, hats, old high heels , make-up dresser with mirror and seat
Good Luck and have fun:)
What would a float look like with the theme Stars Stripes and bright Smiles
Our city is having a holiday parade and the theme is Trains. We are looking for any simple ways to turn our company van into a train.
I won't have a lot of volunteers to help me transform the van, so it needs to be easy. Thank you very much.
if you or anyone in your group has any artistic ability, you could stick white paper on the van and draw the outline of a cool old steamer locomotive on it www.historyinsidepictures.com/
if not, you could spare $100 or so, you could have the picture i linked to, or any you like, printed at the local Staples and then glue/stick the banner to the side of the van. I guess you would want two banners, one for each side
I am looking for ideas for a parade float to commemorate our high school's 50th birthday. Any ideas for simple, cheap, and attractive?
A 50th anniversary is gold. You can get gold foil paper and Christmas ornaments to make a beautiful float.
I want to build a flatbed float with the theme heroes and villains to represent a hospital.
For a hospital? Any way you can make the heroes doctors and nurses? The villains could be illnesses or germs, if you could figure out a way to represent them.
Our high school boys just won the state championship and we are having a parade for them. What would be an easy quick way to decorate the float? The parade is on Monday.
The theme is Father Marquette. Any ideas for a float?
Well, I guess you have already considered dressing someone up as Father Marquette.
How about placing him and a few "indians" in a canoe, paddling down one of the rivers he traveled on the float?
We are a conservation club and need a float idea. Please help!
Wow...here's a few off the top of my head.
1. How about using TOTALLY RECYCLED materials to make some sculptures of either people, animals, local buildings, etc? It would take some effort and maybe you can get some artistic teenagers or an art club involved if you have the time, but it could really be pretty cool!
2. What about sending out notices that you will be COLLECTING some sort of recyclables (aluminum cans can be cashed in for your organization, or even the attendees used books..as one of our local groups do to recycle) at the parade float along the way? Then YOU will recycle them at the end of the parade. That will get your community directly involved with you and even look for your float!
3. Of course if you could create a beautiful woodland scene with scrubs (maybe a local nursery will loan you some potted plants and maybe a few animal lawn statues(?) if you add their name as a donor on the float) to show WHAT COULD BE when we conserve our natural resources...that might be thought provoking...Make a sign explaining that "this is what COULD be" when we care about our earth.
4.Lastly, you could always either have some brave and outgoing person or have a contest locally (ask your local paper, TV and/or radio station to help you promote it) have people send in their idea of MOTHER NATURE...where folks can dress up and email or send in photo's dressed up as MOTHER NATURE (and pick on or two or even ALL of them to join you on the float)....OR if it's too late ask all the STAFF and possibly their families (AT LEAST THEIR KIDS!) to dress up as mother nature for the float.
If there is anyway to get flower seeds for your staff to pass out along the route and invite the attendees to plant some flowers where they live, that would be great too and may help feed the local birds, butterflies and bees in the future!
I wish you the best of luck with your float! Wish I could see it!
We are a bowling alley with a strong group of youths who will be walking in parade with us. Our theme is Blue Jeans and Country Dreams. We have a flatbed trailer approximately 25' long. Any ideas or suggestions would be great.
We want to incorporate the dreams of bowling a 300 perfect game plus the kids will be wearing blue jeans and their league shirts handing out free game certificates and of course candy.OOOUUUU...Sounds FUN!!
That is a good dream! I bowled a 290 once and will remember it forever!!
How about making an oversized bed with sleeping figure (or giant paper mache PIN with a sleeping face on it) with a sign that SAYS DREAMING OF A PERFECT SCORE above it's head. You could hang some pins out on springs all over the float/bed (like they were hit with a bowling ball) too...
My alternative idea would be to replicate a bowling lane and have someone look like they are actually bowling on it (going through the motions, perhaps with a dark balloon but NOT really letting go of the ball) with the kids hidden or swatting down on the other end of the 'lane' holding one pin each. When the bowler LETS go of their imaginary ball the pin kids either jump up with their pins in the air or throw them up in the air and catch them from down on the float - OR have the pin kids throw CANDY out to the parade attendees at that time! Have the STRIKE SOUND piped in somewhere too when they do so too!
Let me know what you do! Sounds like a good time!
I work at a real estate office and we are going to be in a local festival parade. We can't come up with a theme. Please help! Our company s called Century 21 New Heritage.
Well I would think HOME SWEET HOME, Home is where the HEART IS, The Three Pigs or other HOME based references would be great for business and fun too!
Or if you have the time and talents you can even mirror the characters from the wizard of Oz, including Dorothy, tin man, scarecrow, lion and wizard (with a small hot air balloon, small house and of course Toto?)and make a sign that says "There's no place like HOME" Using kids as the stars could really be cute too!!
Enjoy your Day!
I own a small grocery store and we're having a town celebration and I need a idea for a float entry. The name of my store is Bonnie's Hometown Grocery and I also have a greenhouse called Bonnie's Bloomers.
I would like to try to tie it in with some sort of song because I think a parade needs fun music. Any ideas?Ouuu...Sounds like FUN!
If you can choose any float theme How about "My Bonnie lies over the Ocean" and have a waterfall/water theme with your lovely plants surrounding it"?
The song is know by most people, catchy and you can invite the spectators to sing along, swaying with the music..and it reminds them WHO is hosting the float!
I love the name Bonnie's Bloomers too... another idea could be an oversized pot of Flowers/plants in the center of the float in a giant pair of bloomers. Having cute kids in oversized (and stuffed) bloomers would be especially memorable too!
Most of all... Have fun!
We are having our annual Christmas parade and the theme is based on the lake where we live. The theme is Lake Cumberland Christmas. We have a bass boat and truck we want to incorporate into the parade, but are stuck on what to do. Can someone help? Thank you so much!
By Heather M
We made a pirate ship out of a fishing boat on a trailer. We used wide black cloth from home depot meant for blocking weeds under garden dirt. then got some float suppies and made sparkling waves on the side. Painted pvc pipe brown and made masts. had a pirate ship steering wheel, used more black cloth for tied up sails. put kids in as captain hook, peter pan, wendy , mermaids etc. You can figure anyway to tie it in, instead of "Pirates of the Caribbean" it could be "pirates of the ....." "sailing over ...." or "....is our never, never land"
