With the opening of Meow Wolf L.A. coming ever closer – now targeted for early 2027 – the Santa Fe based immersive entertainment company is making their Rose Bow debut with a float planned that will bring some of their most iconic elements to the streets of Pasadena and televisions across the United States.


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MEOW WOLF OPENS A PORTAL TO CALIFORNIA AT THE 2027 ROSE PARADE(R) - AND YES, IT’S A REFRIGERATOR

The immersive pioneers behind sprawling, explorable art worlds take the national stage with a 55 foot maximalist microdose of Meow Wolf, ahead of their 2027 LA opening

Los Angeles (November 10, 2026) —For nearly two decades, Meow Wolf has been building portals that transport people between the everyday and the extraordinary. On New Year’s Day, the Santa Fe-born company will roll one through Pasadena, making its Rose Parade(R) debut ahead of the opening of Meow Wolf’s sixth permanent exhibition in Los Angeles. The new exhibition in Los Angeles will pay homage to the communal ritual of movie-going, followed by Meow Wolf’s seventh dream factory in 2028 in New York City.

In 2008, Meow Wolf was a collective of artists who didn’t fit into the Santa Fe scene and transformed salvaged materials into multidimensional dreamscapes. Today, it’s an arts and entertainment company with five permanent exhibitions that has connected more than 13 million people to other realms, earning a place among TIME’s Most Influential Companies of 2026. That’s why the 2027 Rose Parade theme, “Welcome,” fits so well. Meow Wolf welcomes everyone, including people who might never set foot in a museum or art gallery. Southern Californians have been ringing in the new year from the curbs of Colorado Boulevard for well over a century, many of them camping out overnight for a good view. Meow Wolf is honored to join that tradition and to say hello to its new neighbors, and a hopeful new year, along the way. 

“Our worlds are built for people to walk into and most of the country doesn’t have one nearby yet,” said Matthew Henick, Chief Executive Officer at Meow Wolf. “So on New Year’s Day, we’re taking one out for a drive. Where the refrigerator goes is for you to find out.” 

Aptly titled “Meow Wolf Meow Wolf Meow Wolf: A Float by Meow Wolf,” the float was built with Artistic Entertainment Services, who have created dozens of floats for the Rose Parade presented by Honda. Arching out of the ice-cold fridge door is a fever dream of characters and worlds that fans and the Meow Wolf-curious alike will appreciate: the glowing underwater Glowquarium, the alien botanical world of Numina and the aisles of Omega Mart. Above them all rises the Bearret, a creature somewhere between a bear and a ferret. 

“I think Meow Wolf’s entry in the Rose Parade is one of the most unique in Rose Parade history,” said John Ramirez, Senior Designer at AES who did the rendering.

More than 210,000 flowers will adorn the rolling portal, including a bouquet of Meow Wolf’s Rose Beef. Rose Beef is a real product sold at Omega Mart as “nature’s beefiest flower,” and its eyes slowly track the crowd as it passes. Every one of those eyes is crafted by human hands, like every other spectacle on board, including the float’s performance. Like Meow Wolf’s exhibitions, even the choreography has a backstory for anyone who wants to dig into the lore. Everyone else can simply enjoy the sight of dancers sprouting from the nooks and crannies of the float, growing, glitching and finally celebrating to an original score by Ben Wright, Senior Show Audio Designer at Meow Wolf. 

“Like every project at Meow Wolf, this one started with a really big dream and became a highly collaborative process,” said Sofie Cruse, Creative Director of the float. “We’ve brought worlds, creatures, flora, fauna, and lore to people through our festivals and permanent exhibitions. Now we get to create with something ephemeral for the Rose Parade, right before our Los Angeles exhibition opens.”

Meow Wolf’s interactive storytelling was launched in 2016 with the ordinary Victorian house of an ordinary family, or so it seemed, until you opened an ordinary refrigerator. Instead of leftovers, you were met with the infinite glow of pure possibility. That portal, inside Meow Wolf’s first permanent exhibition, House of Eternal Return, created with the support of Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin, launched millions of adventures. Ten years later, Meow Wolf brings that moment, along with dozens of others, to the parade route.

Long before anyone called it ‘immersive,’ Los Angeles picture palaces were transporting people to other worlds,” said Andrew Medina, General Manager of Meow Wolf Los Angeles. “We’re building one of our own at HHLA with a few extra dimensions. Before we open the doors, we wanted to show up the way Angelenos do every New Year’s morning, on Colorado Boulevard, with something nobody has seen before.”

For millions of viewers in places without a Meow Wolf, the float is a first glimpse. For Angelenos, it’s a taste of what’s coming to HHLA, a few miles from LAX, in early 2027. Details are at meowwolf.com/visit/los-angeles.

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ABOUT MEOW WOLF

Meow Wolf is the originator of mind-bending immersive art experiences that transport adventurers of all ages into breathtaking realms of imagination and wonder. One of TIME's Most Influential Companies of 2026, Meow Wolf began in 2008 when a group of outsider artists in Santa Fe started a collective and created maximalist worlds in multiple dimensions with materials salvaged from dumpsters. Meow Wolf has since welcomed more than 13 million guests across five permanent exhibitions, and garnered more accolades, including Time Out's #1 Immersive Experience in the U.S. (2023), Fast Company's World's Most Innovative Companies (2024, 2022 and 2020).

 In 2016, with the help of George R. R. Martin, Meow Wolf opened its first permanent exhibition: the Thea Award-winning House of Eternal Return in Santa Fe, a mystery house filled with hidden passages and mesmerizing art. That opening kick-started Meow Wolf's trajectory as an immersive pioneer. Determined to grow with its ethos intact, Meow Wolf became the first Certified B Corp in themed entertainment.

Each kaleidoscopic exhibition sparks an adventure of discovery that's unique to each visitor, connected by the lore of the shared Meow Wolf multiverse. They also feature the work of hundreds of visionary artists from around the corner and around the globe. In Las Vegas, Omega Mart (2021) is a surreal grocery store. Denver's Convergence Station (2021) is an architectural marvel where four alien worlds collide. The Webby Award-winning The Real Unreal (2023) followed in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Radio Tave, a community radio station that spans dimensions, opened in Houston on Halloween 2024. A new exhibition is coming soon to Los Angeles with New York City to follow in 2028.

All are invited to explore the blurred edges of reality and fantasy at Meow Wolf and discover the inspiring, creative world within.

ABOUT ARTISTIC ENTERTAINMENT SERVICES

Artistic Entertainment Services (AES) is a premier entertainment scenic fabrication company with over 36 years of experience in creating custom-designed and innovative themed environments for live entertainment and theme parks. Renowned for its exceptional craftsmanship and creativity, AES brings visions to life, transforming concepts into immersive and captivating realities. As an official float builder and proud partner of the Tournament of Roses® and Rose Parade® presented by Honda, AES has established a legacy of creating show-stopping, award-winning floats. These stunning creations play a pivotal role in America's New Year Celebration®, captivating audiences worldwide with their artistry and grandeur. Visit www.aescreative.com, like us on (Facebook), and follow us on (Instagram).

About the Pasadena Tournament of Roses® and Rose Parade® presented by Honda

The Pasadena Tournament of Roses® is a volunteer organization that hosts America’s New Year Celebration®with the Rose Parade® presented by Honda, the Rose Bowl Game® presented by Prudential and a variety of accompanying events. The Association’s 935 Members supply more than 80,000 volunteer hours, which will drive the success of the 138th Rose Parade, themed “Welcome,” on Friday, January 1, 2027, followed by the College Football Quarterfinal at the 113th Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential. Visit www.tournamentofroses.com, follow us on Instagram, TikTok,  YouTube and X and like us on Facebook.

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