Building tips and advice

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Guidelines for decorated floats/vehicles in the parade

The decorated floats can vary in size depending on your requirement
Maximum width 12 foot (width of gate at the sports ground)

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We hope to have some major contributions from large companies but also smaller floats for small, local companies. These can be small trailers, towed by tractors (we have some vintage tractors volunteered to help)

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We will also accept decorated vehicles providing they are decorated in a flower theme and you have chosen an era to display

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Be as imaginative as you can but we want to see colour, music, animation

In most cases, there is no charge to enter a float/vehicle. All we ask for is a donation to our fund raising
We do have some larger floats available for major sponsors

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Building a decorated float

The key element to consider is health and safety

If possible, avoid having persons riding on the floats. This is possible but we will need to provide H&S guidelines

All persons riding on floats MUST be fastened by some form of safety belt. You can also have a trailer with railings around all four sides

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The float should have no sharp edges and no object should protrude outside of the platform of the float
Maximum width is 12 feet

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The perfect float would be a flat bed trailer that can be towed either by a car or tractor

It should be colourful, vibrant and can have animated parts

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Include as many flowers as possible, however, we know flowers will be hard to source so feel free to use artificial flowers, coloured craft materials etc - just lots of colour - we will have a good supply of fresh tulips, 3 days before the parade

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Your float can include music but we need to know in advance (so we don't put you next to a loud band)

Music systems can be powered by 12V car batteries and we can provide an electrician to help if required

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Construction materials

You can make frames from wood or metal, depending on what you have available. Make it as big and impressive as possible. Floats can be covered in artificial grass or similar with side panels covered in flowers/artificial flowers. Polystyrene panels are great for cutting into shapes and pinning flowers on

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IDEA CENTRAL

The theme is Spalding through the eras, so your float should be based on an era. Below we have listed some ideas of things that would be instantly recognisable from the eras:

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1920's

The Charleston, Jazz, Mickey Mouse, Votes for women, movie making

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1930's

Bonnie & Clyde, gangsters, Wizard of Oz,

 

1940's

Wartime, Spitfires, tanks

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1950's

Colour TV invented, the Space Race, Elvis

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1960's

Flower Power, mini skirts, The Beatles, hippies, space landing,

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1970's

Star Wars, Magic Roundabout, space hoppers, Jaws, Dusty Bin (321), Willy Wonka, Disco

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1980's

Disco, Saturday Night Fever, Rubiks Cube, Pacman,