San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance float named winner in Rose Parade

The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance won top honors at the 136th annual Rose Parade presented by Honda with a float commemorating the historic arrival of giant pandas. For the second consecutive year, the Alliance received the Sweepstakes Trophy for the most beautiful entry, encompassing float design, floral presentation, and entertainment.

The San Diego Zoo’s float, “Friendship Across the Earth,” transported viewers across Asia’s magnificent ecosystems and honored Yun Chuan (“yoon chu-an”) and Xin Bao (“sing bao”), the first giant pandas to enter the United States in 21 years. Five-year-old male Yun Chuan and 4-year-old female Xin Bao made their public debut at the San Diego Zoo on Aug. 8 — designated “California Panda Day” by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The 2025 Pasadena Tournament of Roses theme, Best Day Ever, celebrated life’s best moments.

“To receive the Sweepstakes Award is in itself such an honor, but to do so this year feels especially momentous,” said Paul Baribault, president and chief executive officer, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. “In 2024, we had the once-in-a-lifetime experience of watching as Yun Chuan and Xin Bao brought the world together. They represent what is truly possible when we come together with a shared purpose, commitment, and trust in one another.”

Intricate designs of Xin Bao and Yun Chuan traversed the dramatic ridgeline at the center of the float. Surrounded by a bounty of bamboo, Xin Bao, whose name means “a precious treasure of prosperity and abundance,” gently turned her head as she listened to the lyrics of “Best Day Ever,” and looked ahead to the new year. Next to her, Yun Chuan savored bamboo shoots. Named in honor of his grandmother, one of the first pandas at the San Diego Zoo, Yun Chuan celebrates a generational legacy between San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and its conservation partners.

The striking orange stripes and regal reverence of Connor the Malayan tiger also featured on the float. Swinging high above cascading waterfalls, red pandas Lucas and Adira were seen frolicking among treetops. Riding below were San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance team members Dr. Megan Owen, Jana Biedenweg, and Dr. Xiaoxing Bian: a global conservation leader, a wildlife expert, and a scientist.

Atop the 55-foot float, viewers got a glimpse of the vivacious landscapes and more than 700,000 individual plants that are cared for by horticulturists at the San Diego Zoo. More than 3,100 diverse plant species are part of this accredited botanical garden and arboretum and are vital to San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s ongoing conservation efforts worldwide. Individual plants grown and propagated at the San Diego Zoo — including yellow groove, golden, and black bamboo — were transported to Pasadena and added to the float.

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has a reputation for awe-inspiring floats. Its 2024 float, “It Began With a Roar,” celebrated the San Diego Zoo’s 107-year history and also received top honors with the Sweepstakes Trophy. Its float in 2023, “Celebrating 50 Years of Conservation” in celebration of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park’s 50th anniversary, received the Animation Award for most outstanding use of animation.