Monday, December 29, 2025

Wildfire Survivors From Pasadena and Altadena to Help Decorate Rose Parade Float Honoring 2025 Fire Survivors

Wildfire survivors from Altadena and Pasadena will gather Monday morning in Pasadena to help decorate “Rising Together,” a Rose Parade float honoring survivors of the 2025 Eaton and Palisades wildfires, according to event details. Survivors from Pacific Palisades and Malibu will also participate.

The decorating event is scheduled for Monday morning at the AES Float Barn at the Rosemont Pavilion, 700 Seco Street in Pasadena.

Wildfire survivors from Altadena, Malibu, Pacific Palisades and Pasadena, along with California Community Foundation (CCF) leadership, are listed among those taking part.

The float, co-sponsored by the California Community Foundation and the Black Freedom Fund, is a Rose Parade presented by Honda entry that will appear on January 1, 2026, in the 137th Rose Parade.

According to event materials, the 55-foot float honors the resilience, courage and unity of wildfire survivors following the 2025 Eaton and Palisades fires. It pays tribute to the 31 residents who lost their lives and recognizes the strength of more than 13,000 families who lost their homes.

Survivors identified in the event information include Eaton Fire survivors Darlene Leyba, Andrew King and Jacque Robinson-Baisley, and Malibu Fire survivor Myra Burg.

Design elements described for the float include a phoenix rising to symbolize renewal and collective strength; California native plants and the San Gabriel Mountains to honor communities impacted by the Eaton Fire; and waves and shoreline features recognizing Pacific Palisades and Malibu.

Thirty-one sunflowers appear on the float in remembrance of lives lost in both the blazes.

Event details note that survivors riding and walking alongside the float will include families who lost their homes, older adults facing uncertainty, grassroots leaders and volunteers who organized relief efforts, and residents from communities disproportionately impacted by the fires.

The float project is designed as a healing and recovery initiative, bringing survivors together through hands-on decorating and pre-parade community events. No wildfire recovery funds were used to pay for the float, organizers said.