The Spherion Orlando Citrus Parade celebrated its 30th anniversary on December 30 with seven signature citrus floats—a record for the event—made with more than 100,000 pieces of orange, tangerine, and grapefruit. The annual parade serves as the signature event during Bowl-a-Palooza, a week of pep rallies, kickoff luncheons, and a free downtown concert leading up to the Capital One Bowl and Champs Sports Bowl.
The parade garnered more sponsors this year than in 2008 through grass roots marketing efforts like its Citrus Sweets Dessert Challenge, which pitted locals against each other in a citrus-centered dessert competition for a chance to ride in the parade.
“We try to make it the best fan experience possible with a limited budget, since we are not for profit,” said Shaun Rooney, events manager and parade director at Florida Citrus Sports, the organization that produces the events.
More than 45,000 spectators, some arriving nearly four hours early to secure a spot, lined the 1.5-mile parade route to see the bands and floats—shaped like airplanes, football helmets, and island scenes—parade down Orange Avenue. Additionally, 14 high school bands from around the country, as well as those from the Capital One Bowl's participating teams, Penn State and Louisiana State University, accompanied the floats.
Approximately 2,200 people were involved in bringing the parade together, as well as more than 15 participating organizations, including Budweiser, Wells Fargo, and Walt Disney World. Celebrities such as Olympic gold medalists Shawn Johnson and Lisa Leslie, who served as grand marshal, as well as former 'NSync member Joey Fatone and Cheryl Burke from Dancing With the Stars took part in the event.
The oranges, tangerines, and grapefruits used to create the floats are secured to wire outlines of the float's design with rubber bands to avoid damaging the fruit, which is donated to local food banks after the event.
