After nearly 40 years designing award-winning Rose Parade floats, Tim Estes, the resolute founder of Fiesta Parade Floats is no longer an authorized Tournament of Roses builder.
The Tournament of Roses Association dropped the 36-year-old company as an authorized Rose Parade float builder because it did not meet established criteria, according to a letter obtained by the Southern California News Group.
But Estes, who has helmed the Rose Parade’s oldest, albeit smallest, float company, says Fiesta is in financial trouble, even after just in the last three years winning 17 awards for 18 Rose Parade floats he’s designed.
In the letter from the Tournament’s CEO David Eads to one of Fiesta’s clients, Eads writes the association did not arrive at the decision to drop Fiesta “quickly or easily.”
“…The Association has determined that Fiesta is no longer in compliance with our established criteria and will not be allowed to build floats for the 2025 Rose Parade,” states Eads in the letter.
The Tournament of Roses provided Southern California News Group with a list of six float-builder criteria, which includes technical experience, financial capacity, adequate insurance and a physical location within a proximity acceptable to the association.
When asked exactly which criteria Fiesta failed to comply with, the Tournament of Roses said, in an email, it would not provide additional details providing its decision.
Estes said he was officially informed of the Tournament’s decision last month, but the demise of his beloved company was primarily financial and has been a long time coming — since before the pandemic.
“I was informed (last month),” Estes said, “using the Tournament’s language that I’m no longer recognized as being a builder in good standing.”
He was told, said Estes, to vacate the large Irwindale warehouse Fiesta has occupied for the past 12 years.
“That was pretty crushing,” said Estes, “a week ago Monday when I gathered my employees…
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