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.

Inaugural Children’s Hospital Holiday Parade

I’ve loved dancing with the Pussyfooters in the annual Krewe of Jingle holiday parade for years. Sadly, the parade didn’t survive the pandemic, so organizers from various local organizations came together to create the first ever Children’s Hospital Holiday Parade. The float builders at Kern Studios created Louisiana and New Orleans-centritc floats like alligators and Mr. Bingle. TV cameras were set up throughout the city to report the action. Floating balloons (like in the Macy’s parade) were added to the many dance krewes and school bands crowds have come to expect.

Mardi Gras Indians – Super Sunday 2022

Like the St. Patrick’s festivities, Super Sunday was cancelled in 2020. And 2021. It’s one of my favorite days of the year so I was schoolgirl-giddy heading to A.L. Davis Park to see the  Mardi Gras Indian tribes gather to show off their incredible suits of beads, ribbons, jewels and feathers.

Weighing up to 150 pounds and costing thousands of dollars, the Uptown tribes’ suits feature elaborately beaded panels portraying battle scenes, nature, goddesses, and local iconography.

Fat Tuesday 2022 – Costumes!!!

Fat Tuesday – Mardi Gras in French – splits the city into parade-goers and costumers. Parade-goers go to the Krewe of Zulu and Krewe of Rex parades, with diehards staying for the truck parade. We’re costumers so we spent the day wandering the French Quarter and Marigny taking in all the fun and fabulous ideas people came up with this year. 

Last year was so quiet so it was wonderful to see all the colorful silliness and ingenuity on display. There were a lot of Ukraine costumes this year.

Krewe of Red Beans

I’ve explained before that there’s more than one Mardi Gras. On Lundi Gras (Monday before Fat Tuesday) we’re usually Uptown for the epic Krewe of Orpheaus Parade. The floats and bands are incredible and the weather promised to be mild for the nighttime parade. This year, we decided to attend the Krewe of Red Beans parade in the Marigny instead. 

Founded in 2009, the Krewe of Red Beans began with a small group of school teachers and newcomers to New Orleans.

Krewe of Tucks Parade 2022

The fun, toilet-themed Krewe of Tucks parade features throws like hand-decorated scrub brushes and plungers as well as other potty-humored beads, toys and poop-shaped keepsakes. I heard a dad ask his toddler to hand him the “poo-poo bottle opener” that had fallen to the ground. 

Traditionally, logo-embossed rolls of purple, green and gold toilet paper are tossed over the arching live oaks lining St. Charles.

Krewe of Iris 2022

The Krewe of Iris was established in 1917 – making it the oldest all-female krewe. Hand-decorated sunglasses are the Krewe’s’ signature throw and I caught 4 pair! Iris has gorgeous feminine, vividly-colored floats. My favorite is still the woman’s face with long, flowing, strawberry blonde hair – purple irises nested in the locks.

Krewe of Muses (& some Chaos)

The Krewe of Muses is a crowd favorite. Fun floats include the giant stiletto, the bubble bath and the rubber duckies. I dance with the Pussyfooters and we were thrilled to be celebrating our 21st birthday with the Krewe that helped launch our group. The Pussyfooters were the first adult dance krewe to parade Mardi Gras since the Baby Dolls in the early 1900’s. The idea of adults dancing in the parades was such a hit that now there are over 50 groups. 

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.

Krewe of Sparta Parade 2022

The Krewes of Sparta and Pygmalion end the 5-parade Saturday on St. Charles. Sparta is a fairly traditional parade with masked riders – both on the floats and on the horses that lead the way. I was excited to see the flambeaux lighting the Avenue as they have since before the invention of electricity. It’d been 2 years since we’d been entertained by the guys twirling their flames for tips in any parades. 

The floats featured phoenix’s and fairy queens. Crowds especially reacted to the dragons – one carried