Cal Poly Will Debut Soaring as One Float in 2027

The 2027 Rose Parade entry will feature a 2,000-pound blimp and 42,000 student-grown flowers.

Updated on Sept. 28, 2026 in Botany

Bold vector editorial illustration of a large steel bird sculpture frame decorated with flowers in a workshop, representing student engineering. — Cal Poly Pomona and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo students are preparing their 'Soaring as One' float for the 2027 Rose Parade, featuring 42,000 campus-grown flowers. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Students from Cal Poly Pomona and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo will debut their Soaring as One float design in the 2027 Rose Parade on January 1, 2027. The project requires an estimated 42,000 flowers grown on both university campuses to decorate the structure.

Why it matters

This long-standing intercampus collaboration, which began in 1949, integrates floral cultivation with large-scale mechanical design. The initiative serves as a practical application of agricultural and engineering education across the 250-mile span between the two California campuses.

The float design incorporates a 2,000-pound central blimp structure surrounded by avian figures, including a Canada goose with a 16-foot wingspan. The assembly relies on 42,000 flowers harvested specifically for the event from university-managed agricultural fields.

The players

Cal Poly Pomona

A California State University campus focused on polytechnic education and applied agricultural research.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

A polytechnic university known for its learn-by-doing approach to engineering and agricultural science.

The details

The design process originates from an annual student competition held in early February, where engineering and floral design students propose concepts. Construction involves integrating a 2,000-pound internal armature—the skeletal frame of the float—with mechanical components to support the large-scale avian sculptures. Students manage the entire lifecycle of the decorative materials, from planting the flower fields in September 2026 to harvesting and applying the blooms to the structure throughout the final months of the year.

1949: The annual collaboration on Rose Parade floats began.
Early February: Annual design competition held for students.
September 2026: Planting of flower fields began on both campuses.
October 2026: Harvest of flowers and construction of the float begins.
January 1, 2027: Float debuts in the Rose Parade.

The Tech Race

This project maintains a 78-year collaboration between the two Cal Poly campuses that integrates mechanical engineering with large-scale horticulture. It stands as a unique academic benchmark where students manage the entire pipeline from raw agricultural production to a finished public-facing mechanical display.

The public can view the finalized float during the live Rose Parade broadcast on January 1, 2027. This project serves as a showcase for students across the California State University system to apply their coursework in agriculture and mechanical engineering in a public environment.

The takeaway

The float demonstrates the feasibility of combining large-scale mechanical sculpture with seasonal botanical sourcing across multiple university sites. Observers should look for the completion of the float in late December 2026 to verify the successful integration of the 2,000-pound blimp structure.