Cal Poly students send Rose Parade float to Pasadena
San Luis Obispo’s Aubrey Goings and Pomona’s Amelia Atwell break a bottle of champagne over the trailer hitch at the Cal Poly Rose Float, Jungle Jumpstart during Move-Out day at Cal Poly Pomona December 19, 2025.
– Cal Poly universities’ Rose Float teams held their annual christening ceremony Dec. 19 at the Don Miller and Ron Simons Rose Float Lab on the campus of California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, marking the final phase of preparation before the New Year’s Day Rose Parade.
More than 150 onlookers attended the event, where team presidents Aubrey Goings of Cal Poly and Amelia Atwell of Cal Poly Pomona jointly christened the float by breaking a bottle on its tow bar.
Following the celebration, titled “Jungle Jumpstart,” the float was towed to Pasadena for decoration, which begins Friday, Dec. 26, ahead of judging on New Year’s Eve. The float is the universities’ 77th entry in the Rose Parade.
Measuring 53 feet long, 25 feet high, and 18 feet wide, “Jungle Jumpstart” reflects the 2026 Rose Parade theme, “The Magic in Teamwork.” The design presents a story in which rainforest animals collaborate to repair a robot, illustrating interactions between nature and technology.
The Cal Poly universities Rose Float is the only parade float designed and built entirely by students. It is a joint effort between California State University students from the San Luis Obispo and Pomona campuses, which are separated by approximately 250 miles.
“Jungle Jumpstart illustrates the beautiful outcomes that can be achieved when technology and nature work together in harmony,” said Goings, a fourth-year architecture major.
Group at the Cal Poly Rose Float, Jungle Jumpstart during Move-Out day at Cal Poly Pomona December 19, 2025.
“Our jungle engineers, a frog, a monkey, a jaguar and lemurs, work around the robot to bring it back to life,” said the resident of San Jose, California. “They even incorporate fallen branches and plants into their repairs, symbolizing their acceptance of the robot into their ecosystem. A toucan, standing proudly atop a tree stump, is focused on the antenna of the robot, while also making sure everything below is going smoothly. With some inspiring teamwork, the robot flickers alive. In thanks, the robot lifts a vibrant macaw skyward, helping it take flight.”
The float also depicts the robot’s spare parts repurposed as a habitat for birds nesting in a fallen tree. The robot’s open chest cavity and reused components support plant life within the rainforest scene.
University students and volunteers from across Southern California will apply more than 21,000 flowers during decoration week, which runs Dec. 26 through Dec. 31. Volunteers will work in shifts to cover the float in bright, tropical colors.
Since the program began prior to the 1949 Pasadena parade, then known as the Tournament of Roses Parade, the two schools have earned 63 awards. Their honors include the Leishman Public Spirit Award at the 2025 Rose Parade for the float “Nessie’s Lakeside Laughs.”
Cal Poly universities Rose Float entries have also been recognized for student-led innovations that introduced hydraulic and computer-controlled animation to the Rose Parade.
The Cal Poly Rose Float, Jungle Jumpstart heads to Pasadena during Move-Out at Cal Poly Pomona December 19, 2025.
