5 Ways to Turn a Utility Cart into an Easy Parade Float
Looking for a low-cost way to make a fun parade float? Then, consider getting a hold of a few utility carts and turning those into your parade float. In most cases, they are cheaper and easier to find than large trailers, and you don't have to worry about having a truck to pull them. Instead, you can use human power or small vehicles to pull your utility cart float.
To get you inspired, here are a few fun parade float ideas using utility carts:
1. Use your utility carts as utility carts
Depending on the nature of the group or business you are showcasing at the parade, you may want to just use your utility cart as they are. For example, if you are promoting a library, you can dress up a group of people like old-school librarians, and you can have them push utility carts full of books – you can even pass out free books instead of candy to parade spectators.
Similarly, if you are promoting a hotel or a restaurant with your display, you can have a team of dancing waiters pushing utility carts loaded with displays of fake food under metal room service trays.
2. Turn your utility carts into a circus train
Regardless of the type of group or business you are promoting, it's fun to play with a circus theme. With rolling carts, you can make a fun little circus train. Just decorate the rolling carts to look like circus train cars.
For example, you could cover one utility cart with chicken wire to make it look like a cage, and then, you could put an orange house cat disguised as a circus tiger in it. For a fun twist, have your circus train carts pulled by sled dogs.
3. Use dogs, humans or small vehicles to pull your carts
Even if you don't opt to use sled dogs, when you use a small rolling utility cart as a parade float, you don't need a large truck to pull it. Instead, you can use a range of tiny vehicles, and you can turn your cart into a traditional looking float.
There are a range of materials that can be used in that process. If you want a truly festive look, you should consider using supplies made just for parade floats. There are a range of options, including floral sheeting, petal paper and rolls of sturdy mylar to make textured surfaces.
4. Create a 3D creature or design
Rolling carts are a great size to craft into any 3-dimensional design. One of the most effective options is to use chicken wire to create a 3D shape. With a bit of creativity and a commitment to crafting, you could make a 3D chicken to advertise your chicken farm, a laptop to represent your tech repair company or a cartoon character to represent your after school kids' club.
Once you've made the basic design out of chicken wire attached to your rolling cart with glue, zip ties and strategically placed screws, you can fill in the design using decorative puffs or pomps. A common material for parades, puffs get wadded up and shoved in the spaces of your chicken wire to complete your creation.
5. Pull a billboard
One of the easiest types of parade floats or displays to make with a utility cart is basically a rolling billboard. Making one is easy: you just decorate poster board or commission professional posters from a designer and printing company. Then you attach them to either side of your utility cart. The posters can have info about your group and how to contact you. Pull the mini billboard using any of the ideas above, or just pull it with your bicycle or hook it to yourself using a moving harness.
Learn more about your options by contacting rolling cart suppliers through resources like http://www.garlandsinc.com/.
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