Krewe of Freret

The Krewe of Freret paraded for 40 years until the 1990’s then was reborn on the parade route almost a decade ago. Some members of the new Krewe are the children of the previous membership. A highlight in the middle of a 5-parade Saturday, the parade began with young Spidey504’s fancy footwork leading the NOLA Chorus Girls. Other adult dance and walking krewes included Ritmeaux Krewe, Crescent City Fae, Alter Egos, Lucha Krewe, Krewe des Fleurs, and the beaded corsets of Dames de Perlage. My favorite dancers were the incredible girls from the Passion Dance Center who put on a sassy high-kicking, back-bending show while paused in our area.

Derrick Tabb led The Roots of Music, a non-profit serving at-risk youth from 8-14 as an always disciplined and amazing band. Tabb is not only one of the founders of the group (and a CNN Hero finalist), he’s also the snare drummer of Rebirth Brass Band, the first brass band to win a Grammy.

Grammy-nominated Trombone Shorty is Derrick’s cousin and was the star of the day’s festivities. Not only did he Marshal the parade, he rode on the Krewe’s brand new Trombone Shorty float with the super-long trombone prop. Special guest riders included Angela Bassett and Mannie Fresh.

We thought the parade had ended so we took a moment to celebrate the 1st birthday of one of the family’s newer members. Then Krewe du Kanaval crept toward us on St. Charles. However you might feel about their addition to the already crowded schedule, I did enjoy the colorful costumes and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band playing as they rolled past.

Next up – Krewes of Sparta and Pygmalion.