What does it cost to stand inside Rosemont Pavilion on December 29 and watch a Rose Parade float take its flowers? For a visitor, it's $26.50. For someone holding a glue brush, it starts with a free account.
The two experiences happen in the same building at 700 Seco Street. Decorating Places, the Tournament of Roses event that lets the public walk through and watch, charges $26.50 on December 28 and 29 and $31.50 on December 30. Tickets are sold online only. AES, the float builder working out of that pavilion, takes volunteer decorators through a free account on its sign-up platform, and its page says no experience is required. The 2027 parade rolls on Friday, January 1, under the theme "Welcome." Access to the barns, though, gets settled in the fall.
Same pavilion, two ways in
The Tournament's Decorating Places page sells the visit as a chance to "watch skilled professionals and dedicated volunteers carefully add intricate floral designs." Those volunteers are part of what the ticket buys a view of. Here are its posted hours:
- Monday, December 28: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., last entry at 3 p.m.
- Tuesday, December 29: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., last entry at 3 p.m.
- Wednesday, December 30: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., last entry at 4 p.m.
Parking is free and first-come in lots near Rosemont Pavilion and Jackie Robinson Baseball Field. The Tournament notes that other Arroyo Seco Park venues share those lots. Rideshare drop-offs go to Lot H, off Seco Street and Rosemont Avenue. The ticketing page shows slightly different hours than the event page, so check the schedule again before you buy.
On the AES volunteer page, the same building appears from the inside. Volunteers cut, glue and place fresh flowers, seeds, bark and other natural materials on floats AES designs for brands, cities and nonprofits. AES team leads teach the techniques on the floor. Registration takes three steps: create a free account on AESVolunteers.com, reserve shifts at Rosemont Pavilion, and check in on the day. AES says it has built Rose Parade floats since 1983 and decorates 15 or more floats a year. Its page says sign-ups "now live" on the platform. The FAQ answers about age minimums and bag policy didn't appear in the version reviewed for this post, so look at those on the platform before you book a shift for a younger family member.
Why the calendar matters more than the price
Across the Arroyo in Irwindale, Phoenix Decorating Company decorates at Rose Float Plaza South, 5400 Irwindale Avenue. Two groups coordinate its volunteers, the Kiwanis International Rose Float Club and the Petal Pushers. The Kiwanis team handles the Kiwanis International float and says it is responsible for decorating up to 13 other floats in the Phoenix facility, plus materials prep and floral cleanup.
The Rose Float Club's 2027 page is the clearest look at how capacity works this season. Sign-ups are live, and the club posted this schedule as of August 1, 2026:
| Date | Work | Shifts | Volunteer cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Dry decorating | 8 a.m.–4 p.m.; 4–8 p.m. | 250 |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Dry decorating | 8 a.m.–4 p.m.; 4–8 p.m. | 250 |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | Dry decorating | 8 a.m.–4 p.m.; 4–8 p.m. | 250 |
| Sat., Dec. 26 | Dry and floral | 8 a.m.–4 p.m.; 4–9 p.m. | 200, waitlist when full |
| Sun., Dec. 27 – Tue., Dec. 29 | Dry and floral | 8 a.m.–4 p.m.; 4–11 p.m. | 200 each day, waitlist when full |
| Wed., Dec. 30 | Dry and floral | 8 a.m.–4 p.m.; 4–11 p.m.; 11 p.m. to finish | 200, waitlist when full |
| Thu., Dec. 31 | Mostly cleanup | 6–10 a.m. | 25 |
Registration costs $5 per person per day, and working both shifts on the same day costs nothing extra. A $3 rate applied to anyone who paid before October 1, 2026, so that discount has already expired. The club says it subsidizes the fee case by case when it would cause financial hardship.
A short note under the table explains why timing matters this year:
"In order to create a more enjoyable volunteer decorating experience for everyone, this year we have reduced the number of slots available to avoid having more people than jobs."
Once slots fill, the club opens waitlists. If it has to choose among people on a waitlist, it gives priority to those who paid in advance. The floral days from December 26 to 30 are the ones most people picture when they think of float decorating, and they are also the most limited at 200 volunteers a day. The three dry-decorating Saturdays in early December each allow 250.
Volunteers don't get to choose their float. The club places people wherever crew chiefs need help, and it states plainly that "there is no guarantee of working on a particular float or doing a particular task." It asks volunteers to stay for the full shift and to arrange any late arrival or early departure in advance. Phoenix's own guidelines ask decorators to come ready for an 8-hour shift and to wear clothes that can get messy.
Age rules decide which barn fits your group
Each organization sets its own minimum age, so a family that includes grandchildren will find some sites are a better match than others. The Tournament's volunteer directory says volunteers sign up directly with builders and float associations, not through the Tournament.
- Phoenix Decorating, through Kiwanis or the Petal Pushers. Phoenix requires decorators to be at least 13 for insurance purposes. Kiwanis requires every participant, whatever their age, to complete a waiver before entering the float construction area. Volunteers under 18 also bring a signed Kiwanis medical form.
- South Pasadena Tournament of Roses. Its float site at 435 Fair Oaks Avenue in South Pasadena doesn't accommodate children under 10. Volunteers ages 10 to 12 work outside the tent with a guardian, and older volunteers get access to more of the work areas.
- Sierra Madre Rose Float Association. Its volunteer page sets a minimum age of 10 with an adult and requires volunteers under 14 to be accompanied. It lists typical Thursday and Sunday shifts of about 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. That page is still titled "Welcome 2026 Volunteers," and its December dates show as still to come. Treat its schedule for this cycle as unconfirmed until the association updates it.
The one site that takes walk-ups
South Pasadena's float is the exception to booking ahead. The association starts construction in summer and decorating in fall. It welcomes walk-up volunteers on a first-come basis at any shift and also takes advance sign-ups, which it especially encourages for larger groups. Volunteers who registered ahead should arrive 15 minutes before their shift. Walk-ups should arrive 30 minutes early.
The setting is different from Rosemont Pavilion. South Pasadena's site is outdoors on uneven ground and isn't wheelchair accessible. Every volunteer needs a printed medical release form, and the association accepts printed copies only. Its rules prohibit cell phones at the work site, though phones are allowed in the parking lot. The association also warns that adhesives, paints and natural materials can irritate skin or airways. Anyone who carries an inhaler or EpiPen should keep it on hand and tell the float crew. For an older relative who wants to help without standing all day on a concrete floor, those details matter as much as the date.
What the paid tickets still cover
Volunteering gets you into one barn for one shift. The ticketed events show the parts of the season no single shift can, and they all sell online only.
- Bandfest, Robinson Stadium at Pasadena City College, 1570 E. Colorado Blvd. Shows run December 29 at 2 p.m. and December 30 at 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., with gates opening an hour before each. Admission is $26.50, and the ticket page directs visitors to PCC Parking Structure 4 off Del Mar Boulevard.
- Equestfest, Los Angeles Equestrian Center, 480 Riverside Dr., Burbank. On December 29, gates are open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the equestrian show runs noon to 2 p.m. General admission is $26.50, reserved VIP seating is $51.50, and parking is $20 per car.
- Floatfest, Sierra Madre Boulevard at Washington Boulevard. The finished floats are on display after the parade, January 1 from 1:30 to 5 p.m. and January 2 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On January 2, a session from 7 to 9 a.m. is set aside for senior visitors and visitors with disabilities. The ticketing page adds January 3 hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $26.50.
Children 5 and under get in free to each of these events.
Before any of that, the season has a nearer milestone. The Tournament will announce and crown the 108th Rose Queen and present the 2027 Rose Court on the front lawn of Tournament House on Tuesday, October 27. Pasadena Now reports a 2 p.m. start. The announcement doesn't say whether the public can attend.
For anyone hoping to decorate on the busiest days of December, the date that matters most is the one you claim a shift. On the Kiwanis schedule, each floral day from December 26 through December 30 stops at 200 volunteers, and that cap was set back in August.
Some families make December decorating a shared tradition, while others are fitting it in around a parent's move or a long-held home being prepared for sale. If the season is busy because of a move like that, Laurie Turner can help plan the move so the holidays still have room for traditions like a shift at Rosemont Pavilion. Let's Connect.
