Louisiana float wins Rose Parade showmanship award

PASADENA, Ca. (KTAL/KMSS) – Louisiana’s entry in the 2023 Rose Parade has earned the state’s office of tourism an award for a second year running.

The Louisiana Office of Tourism, under the leadership of Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser, is the recipient of the Showmanship Award for most outstanding display of showmanship and entertainment for the “Celebration Riverboat” float.

The news of the award comes as 134th Rose Parade got underway Monday morning in Pasadena, California.

A former patient of Shreveport’s Shriner’s Children’s Hospital and 20 Louisiana queens are riding on the float presented by Louisiana Travel.

This year’s theme is “Turning the Corner,” celebrating the unlimited potential each new year brings. The Louisiana Feed Your Soul Float depicts a riverboat or paddlewheel boat decorated entirely with flowers, leaves, and seeds. Floats in the parade are famous for incorporating state-of-the-art technology hidden beneath elaborate flowers and natural materials displays.

Entertaining the crowd and millions of people watching will be Baskin, La. native and country superstar Lainey Wilson.

Last year’s float – Louisiana’s first in the Rose Parade’s history – won the Wrigley Legacy Award for the most outstanding display of floral presentation, design and entertainment.