A ride on a Rose Parade float can’t bring back what Sue Kohl lost in the Palisades fire on Jan. 7. But that 5.5.-mile float ride on Colorado Boulevard on New Year’s Day will symbolize a path forward after a year of rebuilding. “Losing my home and my town in the Palisades Fire was devastating, but I ride to celebrate resilience, renewal and the unbreakable spirit of a community that refuses to be defined by loss,” said Kohl, president of the Pacific Palisades Community Council and a Realtor. Mikal De La Cruz welds legs on a butterfly on “Rising Together,” a Rose Parade float dedicated to wildfire survivors and first responders from the Palisades and Eaton fires, at AES in Azusa on Thursday, December 11, 2025. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) She lost her home in the Palisades fire, and will ride with survivors on the 55-foot-long float “Rising Together,” sponsored by the California Community Fund and the Black Freedom Fund, paying tribute to survivors of the Eaton and Palisades fires and honoring the 31 residents who died in the firestorms, which broke out on the same day. The 55-foot-long float, “Rising Together,” will showcase native California plants and the San Gabriel Mountains, where the Eaton fire burned, waves honoring the coastal communities struck by the Palisades fire, and 31 sunflowers to represent each of the victims of the fire, according to the California Community Fund, which is announcing the float this week. What will be most visible is the towering phoenix, rising from the ashes. AES employees Maricela Michua and Juana Carano build “Rising Together,” a Rose Parade float dedicated to wildfire survivors and first responders from the Palisades and Eaton fires, at AES in Azusa on Thursday, December 11, 2025. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) “One year after the wildfires devastated our communities, this float stands as living proof that hope, compassion and collective action don’t just help us survive tragedy — they help us rebuild stronger together,” said CCF President and CEO Miguel Santana in a written statement. “Angelenos are showing the world what we’ve always known: when we come together with purpose, there is no challenge too great to overcome. Los Angeles will rise from these ashes.” The California Community Fund and Black Freedom Fund came together to sponsor the float to reflect the story of the 2025 L.A.-area wildfires through four themes: remembrance, community resilience and leadership, disproportionate impact on Black and Latino families and awareness/continued support. AES employees build “Rising Together,” a Rose Parade float dedicated to wildfire survivors and first responders from the Palisades and Eaton fires, at AES in Azusa on Thursday, December 11, 2025. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Those riding and walking alongside the float will include families who lost their homes in the fires, older residents who feel uncertain about their future, and community leaders who organized food drives, emotional relief groups and resource sharing after the disaster. Mac Philpart, President and CEO of Black Freedom Fund, said their stories will “remind parade viewers that recovery is strongest when neighbors lift one another.” Gina Clayton Johnson, founder and executive director of Essie Justice Group, lost her home and parent’s home in the Eaton Fire. “I grew up watching the Rose Parade and even took part in its traditions as a young girl, never imagining I would one day return as a survivor,” said Clayton Johnson. “Riding on this float is not about celebration; it is about honoring our neighbors who are still grieving, still rebuilding and still fighting for answers. It is a reminder that when communities stand together in truth and accountability, we rise.” While the theme of the Tournament of Roses for Jan. 1, 2026, “The Magic In Teamwork”, was born before the Jan. 7 fires, it has emerged as a symbol of community spirit in the planning of the parade. Now that Rose Parade season is in full swing, the Rising Together float will be part of a last convoy of floats from builder AES in Azusa to Pasadena, where they will wait for their big ride on. Jan. 1 to travel down Colorado Boulevard. Julianna Lozada is a correspondent with the Southern California News Group. ...read more read less