Krewes of Druids, Chaos and Muses 2023

I haven’t been taking as many photos at night but wanted to share a few from the Krewes of Druids, Chaos and Muses. The final Wednesday of Carnival is the start of 7 straight days of parades – ending with Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras). Founded in 1998, the Krewe of Ancient Druids honors the Celtic priests who acted as mediators between people and their gods and nature. The relatively small krewe of 200 masked, Merlin-capped riders remains anonymous – hidden behind masks.

Thursday is known as Thersday around here, honoring the all-female Krewe of Muses. I normally dance with my Pussyfooters sisters in Muses so I rarely get to see the Knights of Chaos parade.

Krewe of Ancient Druids 2022

The last Wednesday of Carnival is the kickoff to 7 straight days of parades – ending with Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras). The weather was phenomenal – 75 and balmy – for The Krewe of Ancient Druids parade. Druids was founded in 1998 and honors the Celtic priests who acted as mediators between people and their gods and nature.

Krewes of Druids and Nyx Parades 2020

Wednesday starts 7 straight days of parades ending with Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras). Things used to get off to a quiet start with just the Krewe of Ancient Druids rolling, and mostly locals sparsely dotting St. Charles. Once the all-female Super Krewe of Nyx  joined the lineup in 2012, the crowds have gotten thicker by the year. Whereas Druids is a smaller krewe with less than 200 members, the Krewe of Nyx boasts thousands of members in over 40 floats – all with treasured hand-made glittery purses to give to a lucky few along with the tons of beads and female-friendly throws.

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.

Mardi Gras Wrap-Up 2011

To sum up the entire season, Carnival Historian and float designer, Henri Schindler said it best, whether you’re a parader or a viewer, “It never ends. For the entire year, you’re either preparing for it, experiencing it or remembering it.” Louis Armstrong, who led a storied life said it was his lifelong ambition to be King of Zulu. And, as for me, Mardi Gras has always held a special place in my heart because of a photo I’ve cherished since I was a child.