For decades, Fiesta Parade Floats – the oldest and smallest float-building company in Rose Parade history —was a cornerstone of the event, earning numerous awards for its intricate and breathtaking floral displays.
That legacy came to an abrupt end earlier this year when the Tournament of Roses dropped Fiesta as an authorized builder for failing to meet established criteria.
Now, that tradition is poised to continue under a new banner—Fiesta Productions Inc.
Mike Abboud, a long-time float designer with nine years of experience at Fiesta, is stepping up to carry on the legacy of the award-winning company. He is building a team made up of many of Fiesta’s talented former employees.
Fiesta Productions recently received approval from the Tournament to become an official builder for the Rose Parade, Tournament officials confirmed Tuesday, Dec. 31, noting that the company is an approved builder for the 2026 Rose Parade.
The company is set to launch in mid-January, Abboud said when reached by the phone Tuesday. Currently, the team is focused on preparation and organization, with plans to operate from the same Irwindale location previously used by Fiesta Parade Floats.
Abboud’s connection to the Rose Parade runs deep.
“ I have been a fan of the Rose Parade since I was a kid,” he said.
In his late teens, Abboud met and became close friends with Raul Rodriguez, the acclaimed float designer who shaped much of the parade’s creative history.
Inspired by Rodriguez’s work, Abboud pursued a career as a float designer, starting with Phoenix Decorating before spending nearly a decade at Fiesta.
“ I was a designer, but I’ve always wanted to be a builder,” Abboud said.
When Fiesta Parade Floats shut down, he saw an opportunity to keep the tradition alive.
“I felt that Fiesta Productions, which is the company now, (is) surrounded by an amazing group of talented people,” Abboud said.
Its crew includes Jim Hynd, the main floral director for Fiesta for many years, as well as many others with a combined experience of more than 150 years, he added.
“I honestly feel that the parade needs a company that can provide beautiful floats (to) bring back the floral glory to the parade,” Abboud added. “And every single one of us plans to give the best possible effort that we can to make that happen.”
That deep well of expertise and shared history is what makes the new venture so meaningful, said Beverly Stansbury, former project manager at Fiesta Parade Floats. She said many of the current team members have been a part of the float-building world since the 1970s.
“His (Abboud’s) goal is to keep the tradition of the parade, the interest in the parade, the floral, that’s what he’s trying to do,” said Stansbury, who worked at Fiesta for 35 years. “He’s starting this new business and now we all have a new family to go to, or an old family.”
At its height, Fiesta employed as many as 30. The company was known for its adherence to using a lot of flowers in its design, Tim Estes, founder of Fiesta Parade Floats, previously told SCNG, and that is what won them so many awards over the decades.
Even though Fiesta Productions won’t begin building floats until 2026, its first task was decorating the iconic Rose—a floral display affixed to the exterior of the Norton Simon Museum. This signature serves as the backdrop for the annual Rose Parade before the procession turns the corner to march down Colorado Boulevard.
