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.

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.

Judging the Greasing of the Poles

Last year, I was asked to be a “Celebrity Pole Greaser” at the Royal Sonesta’s 43rd Greasing of the Poles to kick off Carnival weekend. The person who recommended me to the Sonesta was a fan of this blog and a member of the Pussyfooters – who performed with me that day. While we were lining up to go out to the crowd, another Pussyfooter suggested I should join their group. I’ve loved watching them since my first full Mardi Gras season in 2010. Just seeing their pink power dancing my way made me smile and made me proud of my own brand of pink-corset-and-combat-boots femininity.  

Mardi Gras Decorations (with a Django twist)

Though I love donating my Mardi Gras beads to Arc of Greater New Orleans and Stephan Wanger‘s Guinness-record-breaking mural, my favorite use of parade throws is decorating my home for the season. Though the NFL tried to create a “clean zone” where they could tell us what to decorate our houses with, what signs we could carry and what clothes we could wear (!!!) , the ACLU has stepped in to protect our right to party our way  (I, for one, will be wearing Saints gear every chance I get!). So, I’ve beaded my fence, wreathed my door and redecorated my Christmas tree as a Mardi Gras tree.

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.

Three a day

Saturday, there were two daytime parades in my neighborhood, Iris and Tucks. The vibe was very local, very neighborhood and very family oriented. People come early and set up their ladders to prop children, some set up food tables and many brought bags to collect toys and excess beads.