By Shaun Scott, Puyallup Tribal News
The 92nd Daffodil Festival Grand Floral Parade brought Pierce County together on a picture-perfect, sunny Saturday on April 5.
The 2025 parade, which included more than 125 floats, went through the streets of Tacoma, Puyallup, Sumner and Orting drawing hundreds of spectators spanning all ages in each city.
Puyallup Tribal Members were prominently featured throughout the duration of the day, and were visible on floats including the Daffodil Festival Traveling Float & Princesses (Chief Leschi Schools Daffodil Princess Lailah Loucks) and the Puyallup Tribe Elders Float. The Chief Leschi Schools cheerleading squad and Canoe Journey attendees marched in the parade on foot.
The Elders Float featured a mural by Jack George who credited Events Director Chester Earl and fellow artist Paulina Hernandez for creating a memorable piece of art.
“We put together this idea of having a theme based around the daffodil, which is grown locally,” George said. “We came up with the idea to have these characters and ancestors carrying the berries and having that background with the mountain, trees and the river. We really focused on keeping it clean and easy on the eyes.”
Puyallup Tribal Councilman James Rideout was honored as one of the 2025 Community Grand Marshals at this year’s event, waving to the crowd as onlookers showered those on passing floats with vocal praise. It was the second consecutive year Rideout was one of the grand marshals.
“I’m grateful for this opportunity. To be part of it and be the grand marshal, that’s an honor,” Rideout said.
Rideout said supporting the Daffodil Festival Grand Floral Parade on a yearly basis means the world to the Tribal community.
“We’re all about community. That is how we strengthen each other and advocate for each other in our lives,” Rideout said. “The preservation of our water, our air, the upbringing of our children, those types of things are really important as we co-exist with each other.”
Seeing Tribal Members fully immersed in everything the parade has to offer brings Rideout joy, he said. He has attended every Daffodil Parade since moving to Puyallup in 1971.
“Just seeing all of the kids and the faces of people, there is so much pride for our community, for our kids and for our people,” Rideout said.
Daffodil Festival Communications Director Katelynn Gulley displayed her gratitude for the Tribe’s ongoing support at one of the biggest events of the year in Pierce County.
“The Puyallup Tribe are the original stewards of the land that we utilize for the festival. The fact the Tribe is involved and are continued stewards of the community is really important to us,” Gulley said. “We love getting to support the Tribe in return. It is just really amazing to have that Tribal support.”
Gulley said she was grateful Rideout accepted the invitation to be one of the grand marshals. “It is a tradition that is very near and dear to our hearts. It is always a pleasure,” Gulley said of having a Tribal Council Member serve as a grand marshal.
This is the 92nd year the Daffodil Festival parade has taken place on the streets of Pierce County. According to the Daffodil Festival website, the parade has occurred every year since 1934 with the exception of 1943-1945 (World War II) and 2020 (COVID-19 pandemic).
