Krewe of King Arthur celebrated their 40th anniversary with colorful floats and costumes commemorating the event. The third of 4 parades Sunday, it seemed like they had every dance krewe and marching band that hadn’t already rolled. Adult parading krewes included NOLA Cherry Bombs, NOLA Nyxettes, Amelia Earhawts, the new Alter Egos, Roux La La in a Rio theme, the fabulously beaded corsets of Dames de Perlage and the Red Hot Dancing Queens of Cincinnati, Ohio making their debut. (PHOTOS)
My nieces and I particularly enjoy the dance academies like Louisiana Stars Express, Girl Twirl & Dance, Original Divas & TNT, Girls N Motion, Rhythm’s Dance Company, Dance IHC, Majorettes R Us, Classy Dolls and the Divas of Olive Branch Majorettes out of Mississippi. School marching bands ranged from tiny tots to college students from Warren Easton Charter High School, Arise Academy, Lafayette Academy, Crocker College Prep, Sylvanie Williams College Prep, McMillian’s First Steps Academy, Slidell High School, Lincoln Charter School, Mary D. Coghill and Tulane Soundwave.
There were plenty of great throws but my favorites were the inner tube my neice scored and the Chee Wees and moon pies I snacked on between parades.
Krewe of Alla started while it was still sunny. We snacked on peanuts from an elephant float and enjoyed walking krewes like the Marie Antoinette-inspired Oui Dats and the Krewe de Pink breast cancer advocates. Edna Karr High School and G.W. Carver passed, then the parade took a long pause for a float breakdown. The marching band from Lake Area New Tech Early College High School tried to entertain us for awhile then the flag girls loaned their flags to some folks in the crowd who took over and put on a short show.
By the time L.W. Higgins and Belle Chasse High Schools passed, the crowd had thinned considerably. Mardi Gras is a marathon done at a sprint’s pace so after 2 parades on a rainy Friday night, 5 parades Saturday and 4 Sunday, many in the crowd literally took their toys and left. As my in-laws discussed tired feet and sleepy children, I reminded them that thousands of us not only attended those parades – we were in them! Carnival is an act of love and community that takes an entire city to pull off. Whether I’m parading with the Pussyfooters or catching beads from floats, I feel truly blessed to be a part of the biggest free party on Earth.
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- Krewe of King Arthur
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- Krewe of Alla begins
L.A. to N.O.LA 
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