City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: June 9, 2026
Agenda Item: 11.A
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Oliver Chi, City Manager, City Manager's Office
Subject: Approval of the City of Santa Monica 2027 Tournament of Roses Parade Float Program; Authorization to enter into Agreement with Artistic Entertainment Services for Float Design, Construction and Parade Operations; and Launch of Sponsorship and Community Engagement Campaign
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of no possibility of significant effect pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption), of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines;
2. Receive the status update regarding development of a City of Santa Monica float entry for the 2027 Tournament of Roses Parade;
3. Approve the official participation of the City of Santa Monica in the 2027 Tournament of Roses Parade;
4. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute an agreement with Artistic Entertainment Services for design, construction, animation, floral decoration, logistics, and parade operations for a total amount not to exceed $650,000;
5. Approve the launch of a robust community engagement and volunteer program;
6. Approve the launch of a fundraising and sponsorship campaign to offset program costs to the greatest extent feasible; and
7. Authorize staff to pursue philanthropic, tourism, hospitality, corporate, and regional partnership opportunities associated with the float program.
Executive Summary
On January 27, 2026, the Santa Monica City Council directed staff to explore and pursue participation in the 2027 Tournament of Roses Parade through development of a City-sponsored float entry. Since that direction, staff has completed the application to 2 of 10
the Tournament of Roses; conducted float builder evaluations; assessed a fundraising strategy; and conducted operational planning associated with a potential float entry.
The 2027 Rose Parade carries the theme “Welcome,” celebrating belonging and community, and falls on January 1, 2027. The proposed 2027 float initiative represents a unique opportunity to showcase Santa Monica’s global identity as an iconic coastal destination recognized for creativity, sustainability, tourism, arts and culture, innovation, and community diversity. Participation in the Tournament of Roses Parade would position Santa Monica before an international television audience estimated in the tens of millions while creating opportunities for local business promotion, civic pride, educational participation, and regional partnerships.
In particular, given efforts now underway to achieve a realignment in the City, in order to drive an economic revitalization, Santa Monica participating in the Tournament of Roses Parade would help tell the story about the renaissance underway in our community to a global audience. This storytelling narrative at the Rose Parade would also occur just as Santa Moncia prepares to host the ESPN broadcast of the 2027 Super Bowl, and in advance of the 2028 Olympic games.
As part of the overall assessment process, staff engaged an assessment of the three pre-qualified float builders selected by the Tournament of Roses, and based on an evaluation of operational capabilities, creative experience, safety performance, logistical readiness, volunteer programs and sponsorship integration capacity, staff recommends selection of Artistic Entertainment Services as the City’s official float production partner, should the City Council decide to move forward with this overall initiative.
Staff additionally recommends launching a comprehensive sponsorship and community engagement initiative beginning in Summer 2026 to support fundraising, volunteer participation, educational partnerships, and citywide promotional activities leading into the January 1, 2027 parade.
Background
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The Tournament of Roses Parade is internationally recognized as one of the most high profile annual civic events in the United States. Municipal participation has historically provided cities with substantial media exposure, destination marketing value, tourism promotion opportunities, and civic engagement benefits.
On January 27, 2026, City Council directed staff to investigate feasibility and implementation requirements for a Santa Monica float entry in the 2027 Rose Parade and to report back on:
• Status update on discussions with the Tournament of Roses, • Proposed funding model and sponsorship strategy,
• Recommended donation pathways and partnership structures, and • Engagement and volunteer plan.
Since Council provided that direction, staff has coordinated outreach with the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, interviewed experienced pre-qualified float production firms, identified a fundraising strategy, communications plan, and volunteer program.
Discussion
The proposed Rose Parade float theme, “Welcome”, directly supports the City of Santa Monica’s broader economic development and community revitalization objectives by reinforcing the City’s identity as an inclusive, accessible, and world-renowned destination for residents, visitors, and businesses. The theme aligns with the City’s strategic realignment efforts focused on economic recovery, tourism promotion, small business support, cultural activation, and strengthening community connection following 4 of 10
recent economic and operational challenges. Through a highly-visible international platform such as the Rose Parade, the City has an opportunity to showcase Santa Monica’s values, coastal character, hospitality, and diverse community while promoting renewed investment, visitation, and public engagement. The float’s messaging is intended to communicate that Santa Monica remains open, vibrant, welcoming, and committed to creating positive experiences for all who live, work, and visit our City.
In addition to its promotional value, the Rose Parade float project serves as an economic development and community engagement initiative that advances several City goals related to tourism, cultural programming, business partnership development, and civic participation. The project creates opportunities to engage and promote local businesses, community organizations, hospitality partners, and sponsors through collaborative programming, fundraising activities, volunteer participation, and public events associated with the float’s development and presentation.
By leveraging the global visibility and media reach of the Rose Parade (with expansive media coverage provided on all of the major networks), the City can strengthen destination branding efforts, encourage future visitation, and highlight Santa Monica’s economic vitality and cultural identity to a broad regional, national, and international audience. The float entry and accompanying outreach efforts are intended to support the City’s long-term economic development strategy by fostering civic pride, enhancing community partnerships, and reinforcing Santa Monica’s position as a premier welcoming destination.
The float would also align with Santa Monica’s long-standing identity as an internationally recognized coastal city known for innovation, wellness, environmental stewardship, arts, entertainment, and inclusive public spaces.
The design concept would celebrate Santa Monica’s historic and contemporary identity through a dynamic coastal visual narrative featuring:
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• Iconic Santa Monica Features – e.g. Santa Monica Pier and Sign, Solar Powered Pacific Wheel;
• Pacific Ocean imagery;
• Sustainable mobility and environmental themes;
• Public art and cultural diversity;
• Native landscaping and floral integration;
• Ocean-inspired animation elements; and
• Interactive lighting and motion effects.
The proposed concept will be developed to maximize television visibility, floral creativity, animation potential, and sponsor integration opportunities while remaining consistent with Tournament of Roses design standards and also being sensitive to budget.
The conceptual design would also support extensive educational and volunteer participation opportunities through floral decoration events, youth partnerships, arts collaborations, and community build activities.
Staff recommends designating Artistic Entertainment Services as the City’s official float production partner for the 2027 Tournament of Roses Parade. Artistic Entertainment Services is authorized by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association to design and construct official parade floats, ensuring full compliance with all Tournament standards and requirements.
Float Builder Evaluation Process
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The selection process for the float builder is limited to the three pre-qualified companies currently approved and authorized by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association.
Consistent with Tournament requirements and industry standards for Rose Parade participation, proposals and negotiations were confined to these approved float builders to ensure compliance with all applicable parade regulations, construction specifications, and operational timelines.
Vendor Selection
Bidder Recommendation
Best Qualified Firm Artistic Entertainment Services
Evaluation Criteria
Tournament of Roses experience, Creative design
capabilities, Construction schedule, Sustainability
practices, Sponsorship integration experience,
Community and volunteer engagement capacity, and
Operational logistics support.
Municipal Code SMCC 2.24.190
Staff conducted interviews with the three experienced, authorized and nationally recognized float production firms Tournament of Roses float production firms.
Artistic Entertainment Services Fiesta Productions, Inc; and Phoenix Decorating Company.
Justification to Award
Staff recommends the selection of Artistic Entertainment Services based on the firm’s demonstrated experience, qualifications, and successful history providing parade float design, construction, and operational support services for Rose Parade participants.
All vendors were evaluated on their ability to meet the City’s design objectives, project schedule, volunteer programming, compliance requirements established by the Tournament of Roses, and overall value to the City. Staff has determined that Artistic Entertainment Services is well-qualified to deliver the specialized services necessary to support the City’s participation in the Rose Parade.
Artistic Entertainment Services would implement the project with the City through a phased timeline designed to support effective planning, fundraising, community engagement, float design and construction, volunteer coordination, and final parade preparation activities. Initial phases of the project will focus on float design finalization and then immediately shift to sponsorship development, fundraising initiatives, outreach efforts, and coordination with the selected float builder and Tournament of Roses officials. Subsequent phases will include production milestones, community events, volunteer recruitment, and onsite float decorating activities leading up to parade week. Staff will continue to monitor project milestones and provide periodic updates to ensure the project remains on schedule, within budget, and aligned with the City’s participation objectives for the Rose Parade. 7 of 10
Project Timeline
Date Milestone
June 9, 2026 Council Authorization
June 2026 Concept Development
July 2026 Finalize Float Design
July 23, 2026 Launch Community Engagement and Fundraising Events August-December 2026 Engineering, Fabrication, and Production September– December 31,
2026
Volunteer and Community Engagement Events
December 26-31, 2026 Decorating week for Live floral elements January 1, 2027 Rose Parade Participation
January 1-3, 2027 Floatfest (static floats available for viewing after the parade) Project Budget
The base program investment for the float entry is $350,000. However, final program costs will depend upon final design complexity, floral sourcing, animation scope, or other enhancements needed to support City programming. Therefore, staff recommends an additional $300,000 contingency to ensure sufficient resources for enhancements and programming to deliver the project within the timeline.
Funding for the Rose Parade project is recommended to be advanced from previously identified resources set aside in the $3 million Economic Development Fund as part of the City’s realignment plan budget strategy. These funds serve solely as initial cash flow support, not as the long-term funding source for the project. Staff anticipate that project costs will be offset, to the greatest extent feasible, by donations and contributions deposited into the restricted, Special Revenue Source Fund. To ensure transparency and appropriate financial oversight, all project-related revenues and expenditures will be recorded separately within the restricted account established for the Rose Parade initiative. The City’s fundraising, sponsorship, donation, and community partnership efforts are intended to offset project costs, with restricted revenues deposited and applied directly toward eligible project expenditures. Staff will continue to monitor project finances and provide budget updates to ensure accountability and alignment with the City’s fiscal management objectives
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Funding Strategy
Staff recommends a mixed public-private funding model designed to minimize direct city impacts. A comprehensive fundraising and community engagement program will be implemented to support the City’s Rose Parade project and expand opportunities for public participation. Fundraising efforts will include broad outreach to residents, community organizations, local businesses, and regional partners through coordinated campaigns, community events, and digital communications. A dedicated fundraising webpage will be established to provide project information, sponsorship opportunities, donation access, event updates, and volunteer engagement resources. All donations will be deposited into a restricted account and tracked per the City’s Donation Administrative Instruction. Sponsorship packages will be developed in accordance with applicable Tournament of Roses guidelines and City policies, including recognition opportunities and allowable advertising associated with approved promotional materials, events, and program activities. These efforts are intended to generate financial support for the project while promoting community involvement, civic pride, and strategic partnerships throughout the parade initiative.
Community Engagement Plan and Volunteer Program
The float initiative is intended to serve as a citywide civic engagement project. A key component of the Rose Parade project is the development of a robust volunteer and community engagement program designed to encourage broad participation from residents, community organizations, schools, and local businesses. The program will include volunteer opportunities associated with community outreach events, fundraising activities, and onsite float decorating activities leading up to the parade. These efforts are intended to foster civic pride, strengthen community connections, and create meaningful team-building experiences through collaborative participation in the City’s Rose Parade entry. Staff anticipates that the volunteer program and related public events will serve as a highly-visible community initiative that promotes engagement, partnership, and shared ownership of the project
Participation in the 2027 Tournament of Roses Parade presents a unique opportunity to showcase Santa Monica’s global identity, cultural vibrancy, economic strength, 9 of 10
environmental leadership, and community spirit before an international audience. Staff has completed preliminary planning, evaluated qualified float production partners, developed an initial funding strategy, and identified broad community interest in the initiative. Approval of the recommended actions would authorize staff to proceed with formal implementation of the City’s 2027 Rose Parade float program and launch the next phase of sponsorship, design, fabrication, and community engagement activities.
Staff will provide progress updates, including fundraising status, community engagement activities, and final parade readiness milestones.
Environmental Review
The proposed action is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines. Participation in the event is covered by the common sense exemption, which states that CEQA does not apply, “where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment.” The action involves participation in the Rose Parade event, and is administrative and programmatic in nature. Therefore, it can be stated with certainty that the action will not result in adverse physical environmental impacts and is consequently exempt from CEQA.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve initial funding from the General Fund to award a contract with Artistic Entertainment services for the design, float fabrication, community engagement and parade execution for the 2027 Rose Parade Float Entry.
Contract Request
FY 2026-27
Budget
Amount
Department Account # Total Contract
Amount
$650,000 01200017.553170. 99141 $650,000
Total $650,000
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The proposed authorization would establish the project budget not to exceed $650,000 subject to offsets by sponsorships, grants, donations, and in-kind contributions deposited in the Special Revenue Fund. Sponsorships, grants, or donations will be deposited in the Special Revenue Source Fund and expended as follows Contract
Revenue Expenses
10200002.416360 10200002.532510
Prepared By: Sergio Ramirez, Chief of Staff
Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Levine Act Disclosure Form
B. Oaks Initiative Form
C. Written Comments
D. PowerPoint Presentation