Parades! Krewe Boheme, Krewe du Vieux, Krewedelusion

Carnival is a season. Mardi Gras is a day (Fat Tuesday). Though there have already been several parades this year, most of us still think of the French Quarter’s satirical  Krewe du Vieux Saturday night parade as the official-unofficial start of “parade season.” Since 2019, Krewe Boheme (with a Covid interruption) has been rolling the preceding Friday. The whimsical Bywater/Marigny/French Quarter walking parade was established by artists and the krewe’s symbol is a green fairy – the nickname for absinthe, a super-intoxicating liqueur.

Krewe du Vieux & Krewedelusion 2022

The French Quarter’s satirical  Krewe du Vieux parade has been poking fun at local, national and global issues with bawdy humor and lots of phalluses for over 30 years. This year’s theme was Vaxxed & Confused and floats featured moments from the pandemic as well as Hurricane Ida and the time the mayor suggested we put month-old garbage in our cars and take it to the dump ourselves. 

Krewedelusion‘s more family-friendly parade has been following Krewe du Vieux  for over a decade.

House Floats – Marigny

If you read my last post of the fabulous costumes of Fat Tuesday, you’ve already seen a few of the house floats in the Marigny, the neighborhood across Esplanade from the French Quarter. “Yardi Gras,” the 2021 socially distanced version of Mardi Gras, has turned houses and businesses throughout the city (and even the world) into parade floats. The grassroots Krewe of House Floats promoted this safe parade concept, encouraging people to use local businesses and artists to help decorate their places, or go DIY, then register on their map. The spectacular displays by float artists like Kern Studios have turned one St. Charles Ave. yard into a circus and another into a jurassic park – with top hats and masques.

Krewe du Vieux Parade (sorta)

Lost most cities, New Orleans is dealing with the COVID shutdowns – but only New Orleans is also missing out on dozens of parades. Carnival season started Jan. 6th and we all bought King Cake to celebrate, then stayed home to eat it. Chewbacchus and Krewe Boheme would’ve started the parades in the last couple weekends and the official-unofficial start of the parade season would be this weekend’s Krewe du Vieux graphically satirical parade followed by Krewedelusion. This year, emphasizing masking and social distancing, Krewe du Vieux created a “parade route” of homes, bars and other spots for people to visit throughout the city starting in the Audubon neighborhood, where people were encouraged to drop off canned food donations.

Krewe du Vieux & Krewedelusion

Though we’ve already attended Chewbacchus and Krewe Boheme, it doesn’t really feel like parade season until the satirical  Krewe du Vieux rolls followed for over a decade by Krewedelusion. For over 30 years, Krewe du Vieux has tackled local, national and global issues with bawdy humor and lots of phalluses. And their many brass bands are among the city’s best.

The theme was Erection 2020 and topics included climate change, the electoral college, foreign interference in our elections, caucusing, and even Commander’s Palace. For locals, both parades had to open with the Hard Rock Hotel collapse

Parades! ‘tit Rex, Krewe Boheme, Krewe du Vieux & Krewe Delusion

It was a gorgeous 75 and sunny day for the 10th annual  ‘tit Rex parade. The miniature parade is an adult, often satirical spectacle of big creativity in tiny form. There were even people sipping little Bloody Mary’s, passing out tiny throws and cocktail umbrellas. Barbie and her friends in Mardi Gras beads crowded with their arms outstretched, their kids sitting in ladder chairs. Like my parents, people here grew up making shoebox floats in grade school and parading them down the halls, so the creations are nostalgic for many.

The weekend started with a new French Quarter walking parade from Krewe Boheme.

Mardi Gras 2017 Wrap-Up

We’ve heard it a lot in the last few days – this was the best Carnival (Mardi Gras season) in years. In fairness, a lot of it had to do with the extraordinarily wonderful weather. After the 50 degree rain-soaked Krewe of Cleopatra parade,  most days were 70-80 and sunny with breezes. This year, I danced in 3 parades with the Pussyfooters. We were excited to debut our super-hero-inspired capes and signature pink corsets at the Cleopatra parade but mostly ended up covered in dripping-wet plastic sacks. That said, the crowds kept us inspired. Carnival parades are like a perpetual motion machine. The paraders bring energy to the crowds and the crowds bring energy to the paraders.

Though routines are set, each year I get to do new things at Mardi Gras and have new experiences.

Krewe du Vieux & Krewedelusion 2017

Though Carnival season started on Twelfth Night, the parades don’t start rolling until Krewe du Vieux and Krewedelusion kick things off in the French Quarter. Saturday was the mildest weather anyone could remember for the parades. Normally bundled in coats and often huddled under balconies and umbrellas, we were out in short sleeves and sandals. Many were in costumes including my fellow Pussyfooters dancers, Lydia Benson and Christine Miller (of Two Chicks Walking Tours). Krewe du Vieux features lots of great local brass bands, micro-krewes of walkers and a bawdy focus on satirizing politics.

Krewe du Vieux & Krewedelusion (R-rated)

At 30 years old, Krewe du Vieux is certainly the bawdiest of Carnival season’s parades. Though the satire is generally pointed in the direction of local politics and concerns, the floats often feature a giant penis or the occasional vagina. A spin-off of the Krewe of Clones (1978-85), the Krewe du Vieux parade was born of a scheduling clash with the city’s hosting of Super Bowl XX that cancelled the Clones’ parade that year. A few of the Clones’ 32 Subkrewes decided to march anyway. By the following year, Krewe of Clones had disbanded and reformed into Krewe du Vieux and rolled with a funeral as their theme to give birth to the new tradition. 

Mardi Gras Tree 2016

Mardi Gras is about as early as it can get this year with Krewe du Vieux kicking things off on January 23rd! In New Orleans, we’re all eating King Cake. My genius friend and fellow Pussyfooter dancer ,Christine Miller of Two Chicks Walking Tours, hosts an annual “potluck” where women bring King Cakes from local bakeries and kitchens. (photo below by Elizabeth Zibilich). Like last year, I wasn’t able to attend but was the lucky recipient of a plate of samples from District Donuts Sliders Brew, Hi Do Bakery and the always amazing Manny Randazzo King Cakes. And like every year, I enjoyed the tradition of converting our home’s Christmas tree to a Mardi Gras tree.