Rose Festival Issues Callout for Parade Guides, Float Decorators and Green Team
The Portland Rose Festival needs volunteer help to keep its world-renowned parades marching on. Volunteer opportunities come with responsibility - and rewards - for festival fans, with something for every interest and ability. From helping staff the barricade locations during the three parades — to decorating parade floats — to helping distribute trash bags, it takes a community to celebrate a community! Volunteers are critical in helping the Rose Festival continue its comeback, which is a major part of Portland’s comeback story.
Join the Parade Team
“We still need more volunteers for the June 3 CareOregon Starlight Parade, the June 7 Fred Meyer Junior Parade, and June 10 Grand Floral Parade,“ says Marlo Eckert, Portland Rose Festival Volunteer Committee Chair. “This is a requirement for Rose Festival to receive our parade permits. Your role as a parade guide will involve actively monitoring the closures surrounding the parade route, welcoming attendees to the parade, and guiding community members in wayfinding around the parade area.”
Decorate a Float
The grand tradition of float decorating is one of Portland's most unique and popular volunteer activities. Individuals and groups willing to get their hands a little dirty, will enjoy seeing the amazing results of their efforts: Applying all-natural materials like grass, seeds, fruits, veggies and of course roses to Grand Floral Parade floats!
Keep the Parade Route Clean
Rose Festival parades set an industry standard in clean and green practices thanks to community volunteers. For 25 years that award-winning standard has been copied by parades across America. Volunteers are needed to hand out the traditional pre-parade trash bags, and then gather them back up at parade end. Thanks to the generosity of Heiberg Garbage and Recycling, Junk-N-Joe and Wacker Sanitary, the bags will be hauled away immediately, restoring Portland streets to their pre-parade state.
Win a chance to ride on a float in the Grand Floral Parade Saturday, June 10
All Rose Festival volunteers who successfully complete a volunteer shift by 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, June 7, can enter to win a ride for themselves and one guest on the Rose Festival logo float in the Grand Floral Parade on Saturday, June 10. The winner will be drawn at random and announced on June 8.