Krewe of Boo Parade 2022

Dancing in Brian Kern’s Krewe of Boo parade has become my favorite Halloween tradition. Judging by the thick crowds from the French Quarter to the CBD, it seems to have become a favorite for many. Every year, I especially love all of the children in adorable costumes lining the route, smiling and waving. 

The first time I danced in a major parade with The Pussyfooters, was in 2013.  The Pussyfooters are a non-profit body-positive group of over 100 women-over-30 in pink corsets who dance in Mardi Gras parades and partner with around 50 non-profits and events throughout the year. 

Krewe of Carrollton – Behind the Scenes!

The 4th oldest Carnival parading organization (after Rex, Proteus, and Zulu), Krewe of Carrollton is a fairly traditional parade with big floats and lots of bands and dance krewes. I was so excited to strut down St. Charles with my Pussyfooters sisters for the first time since 2020 – that I could barely sleep the night before.

Krewes of Muses & Iris Parades

No time to blog this year but wanted to share photos of the fun at the Krewes of Muses and Iris parades. I always love dancing with my Pussyfooter sisters in Muses. Both the parade and our group – the first modern-day adult parade dance troupe, debuted together in 2001. Photos include Krewe des Fleurs, Krewe of the Rolling Elvi, the NOLA Cherry Bombs, Fat City Drum Corps, the Amelia Earhawts and much more! 

Gay Pride Parade 2017

Occurring just after the Naked Bike Ride and the Creole Tomato Fest, the Gay Pride Parade seems to be growing each year. In addition to the many LGBT groups, there were representatives from rugby, track club and kickball teams, the teachers union, Planned Parenthood and community organizations like churches and a suicide prevention center. And of course there were drag queens and walking groups from Big Easy Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Mystic Krewe of the Lords of Leather and the New Orleans Girls of Leather. 

Krewe of Iris – 100 Years

The oldest all-female krewe, Krewe of Iris was founded in 1917 and began parading in 1959. The bold and beautiful floats this year were inspired by the different parade themes across the krewes’ history. The court wore gorgeous sequined costumes with giant collars depicting cultural iconography. The queen was resplendent in a  traditional  beaded gown, jeweled crown and mask and regal lace collar. Sunglasses are a favorite throw with the hand-decoareted ones being the most coveted.

Southern Decadence 2015

A 5-day weekend of costumes, parties and parades celebrating the LGBT community, Southern Decadence brings over 150,000 people and a nearly $200 million economic impact. We caught the tail of the rerouted Friday night parade but were there in plenty of time for the 41st Southern Decadence Sunday parade, an exuberant procession of dance troupes and pride groups in festive and fabulous costumes. This years theme of “Swimmin’ with the Gods and Goddesses!” was punctuated with lavender, lime and silver.

Southern Decadence Parade (photos!!!)

Southern Decadence is a 5-day weekend of costumes, revelry and parades celebrating the LGBT community that brings over 150,000 people and a nearly $200 million economic impact. Decadence started at a party of friends and roommates throwing a going-away party for a friend in 1972 in their inauspicious Treme home nicknamed Belle Reve after the  Mississippi plantation Blanche DuBois’ refers to in A Streetcar Named Desire so the roommates (including gays, straights, blacks and whites) made the send-off a costume party with the theme of coming as your favorite “Southern Decadent.” They chose the Sunday before Labor Day to give themselves a day of recovery afterward then repeated the party the following year with an informal parade. Over 40 years later, the all-inclusive party is bigger and more decadent than ever.

Festigals and Gay Pride Parades

Saturday was a day of drag with the Festigals and Gay Pride parades . Ladies first. Last year, Festigals’ Stiletto Stroll was my first ever parade as a Pussyfooter. It’s a sassy woman-centric second line through the French Quarter during the Festigals’ weekend getaway of yoga, empowerment and success panels, shopping, cooking demonstrations and networking events. This year, they added a new fundraiser, the Stiletto Sprint, benefitting the Breast Center at Ochsner Baptist. It’s a 2 block race on Royal Street in minimum 3″ heels – costumes encouraged. The supremely leggy Tammy McCormick Broussard won the race, passing superwoman and other superheroes in her sky-high red heels.

Muses Parade as a Pussyfooter!

This is my 5th full Carnival season in New Orleans but this year’s Krewe of Muses parade was my first time ever dancing in a Mardi Gras parade. It was amazing, like walking through the “Looking Glass” and becoming part of a wonky world full of mystical creatures – where it’s perfectly normal to see Elvis on a motor scooter or a unicorn/bicycle.  It’s a place where I fit right in wearing a pink corset and white combat boots because now I’m a Pussyfooter! We had to line up very early and the last parade always rolls late so we spent a couple hours staying warm by dancing or huddling in swarms of pink ruffles and lace.

Krewes of Druid and Nyx Parades

Wednesday was the Krewe of Ancient Druids (established 1998) parade followed by the newest women’s parade – the Mystic Krewe of Nyx in their 3rd year. I’m scrambling to manage my schedule so apologies for not doing links to other sites, photo labels and descriptions of the evening. Since I can’t label the photos (or narrow them down much), here are the dance teams and bands I photographed at Druids: Chalmette, Shine Time, John Ehret, Helen Cox, Gris Gris Strut, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Sci Academy, Sophie B. wright, Xtreme Voltage and Superstar Steppers.