The Mystic Krewe of Hermes was the first of 3 parades to roll Uptown on the Friday before Fat Tuesday. They have been parading longer than any other krewe that parades at night. Founded in 1937 by some businessmen who decided the best remedy for dealing with the post- Great Depression woe was to expand Mardi Gras to a 5 day party, the krewe now has almost 650 members.
Named for the messenger god, Hermes, the krewe’s theme this year was, “The Court of the Great Mogul” and the parade opened with the Marine Corps Marching Band followed by 2 of this city’s biggest and best school marching bands, St. Augustine and McDonogh #35 then kept it coming with Warren Easton, Xavier Prep, Walter L. Cohen, Tulane University and more. In other words, there was block after block after block of some of the finest school bands and dancers this city has to offer.
I loved the many “blinky” throws the riders of Hermes selected for this year. There were lighted medallions, glowing maracas and even blinky Frisbees. The floats were beautiful and, passing my camera off to someone who wasn’t afraid of getting smacked in the head by beads while taping (a constant worry for me), I finally got some footage of floats throwing as they passed.
L.A. to N.O.LA 
awesome video compilation and a great post.
Cheers!
Thank you so much!