Krewes of Iris and Tucks (and Endymion on TV)

It was another perfect day for parades, warm and sunny with a cool breeze. We arrived in time to see the end of the Krewe of Iris’ pretty parade and caught bands and dancers from Harney, Super Star Steppers, Mary D. Coghill, Xavier and McDonogh City Park Academy. Krewe of Tucks is a parade named for a bar that doesn’t exist anymore that features a giant toilet float and throws rolls of toilet paper. But, it’s great fun with stunning visuals like the neon foam monsters, the beaded corsets of Dames du Perlage, Kolossos (and their dancing sharks), the Star Wars-themed 501st Legion and dance troupes Disco Amigos, Muff-A-Lottas and Organ Grinders.

Krewes of Iris and Tucks Parades

Saturday was beautiful. Finally. A great day for parades. They started early with the women’s Krewe of Iris (est. 1917) having fun with their “Iris Rocks” theme. The Krewe of Tucks (founded in 1969 by a group of Loyola students) continued their toilet humor with their “Tucks Lives the Sportin’ Life” theme and throws like hand-decorated toilet brushes. I’m not normally a fan of bathroom humor but Tucks gets bigger and better every year and is one of the most colorful parades in every way.

Krewe of Orpheus 2012

Krewe of Orpheus, which celebrates music, is another of the city’s favorite parades owing to its many bands and celebrity guests. Rolling on Lundi Gras night (Monday before Fat Tuesday), it would be my last parade of the season. As with last year, floats overflowed with celebs including Bret Michaels, Harry Connick Jr., Mariska Hargitay, Cyndi Lauper, Hilary Swank and Modern Family‘s Sarah Hyland.

Krewe of Endymion

Usually, the Krewe of Endymion, a super-krewe with celebrity guests and tandem floats nearly as long as a city block, rolls Saturday night before Fat Tuesday. This year, due to rain, the Ball went on as scheduled but the parade was moved to Sunday. We’d been out on the sidewalk since after 11 am, seen 4 parades already, but when the route was changed to St. Charles rather than mid-City rolling down Canal, we found the energy to end the evening with the super-krewe double whammy of Bacchus and Endymion.

Krewe of Thoth

The Krewe of Thoth, founded in 1947, has a unique Uptown route designed to pass hospitals and other institutions people have trouble leaving for a parade. Originally, the 50 riders and 5 floats rolled past 14 care facilities. Today, their 1,200-plus riders and 40 floats still roll a unique route, passing New Orleans Adolescent Hospital and Children’s Hospital among other facilities. 

Krewe of Tucks

The Krewe of Tucks is without a doubt one of the most “colorful” of the Carnival parades in every sense of the word. Known for its toilet-based humor, Tucks was founded in 1969 by Loyola students in the Friar Tuck bar (from which the krewe derives its name) after they had tried in vain to become White flambeaux carriers. Begun as a small night parade of pick-up trucks, the parade is now a large daytime parade and one of the city’s favorites.

Knights of Chaos

The Knights of Chaos is one of the city’s newer krewes. Founded in 2000, their satirical floats are fashioned by fantastic float makers – Royal Artists. Their name comes from the Greek word meaning, “A great confusion out of which a supreme being created all life.” This year’s theme was, “Chaos Eats Out, No Reservations” and though much of the humor is bawdy, the krewe is very family-centered. 

Krewe of Pontchartrain Parade

The first Uptown day parade of the season was the tractor-drawn Krewe of Pontchartrain (established 1975), named for our wonderful Lake Pontchartrain. Rather than an exclusive club, the Krewe allows anyone with the cash to roll with them – even if they’re here as a tourist! My imagination is spinning with how many ways that could be fun