Krewe du Vieux hits the streets tonight @ 6:30
Krewe du Vieux takes to the streets of Marigny and the French Quarter this evening at 6:30 pm followed by krewedelusion at 7:15pm. - MARDIGRASPARADESCHEDULE.COM
Labor dispute halts Mardi Gras bead shipments
A labor dispute in California is turning into a possible Carnival crisis. Delays at a Los Angeles port has thousands of signature Mardi Gras beads on back order and local businesses are now concerned the throws will not make it in time for Mardi Gras.Krewes spend all year making, designing and buying throws for Mardi Gras, but right now much of that is just sitting in containers on the West Coast."It's about 20 percent of what we would normal bring in that is not here now," says Dan Kelly, president of Beads By The Dozen. "Unfortunately, a lot of it is the custom product we need for the krewes." Kelly ships up to 150 containers of beads to his store every year and most of them pass through the port in Los Angeles, but, like other businesses, he is stuck in the middle of a bitter contract dispute between dock workers and the shipping companies."It is very disappointing," says Kelly. "We have worked very hard all year long to make it all happen." Kelly says almost every krewe is affected, and since they are still waiting on their shipments of beads to arrive, many krewes have actually had to push back their distribution nights. "We are now proactively looking at what we can use to replace some of the product coming in for the krewes," says Kelly... - WWLTV.COM
Rex ditching boat ride this year for Lundi Gras
The bicentennial of the Battle of New Orleans is figuring into this year’s Rex parade. The krewe also announced a change for 2015 that dates back more than 100 years.On Lundi Gras, the day before Fat Tuesday, Rex and his entourage will ditch the more recent tradition of arriving at Spanish Plaza aboard a Coast Guard cutter and instead travel by rail. Rex is taking the train.This year, the krewe says the King of Carnival will arrive aboard a luxury railcar that will be pushed to Spanish Plaza with help from the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad for the meeting with the mayor and Zulu royalty.It’s not the first time Rex has ridden the rails. He arrived by train for the first time in the 1880’s.. - WGNO.COM
Beach Boys, LeAnn Rimes, Easton Corbin and Becky G to headline Family Gras 2015
The Beach Boys, down-home diva LeAnn Rimes, country crooner Easton Corbin, teen rapper Becky G and former Foreigner lead singer Lou Gramm will headline the eighth annual Family Gras, Metairie's free Mardi Gras street party.The festival, which rocks the broad neutral ground on Veterans Memorial Boulevard beside the Lakeside Shopping Center on Feb. 6, 7 and 8, will feature a lineup of local music as well, including Allen Toussaint, Cowboy Mouth and the Creole String Beans.Jefferson Parish president John Young jovially kicked off the Wednesday (Jan. 21) morning press conference, when the Family Gras headliners were revealed. He pointed out that Family Gras, which takes place relatively early in the Carnival season, is not meant to compete with Mardi Gras in New Orleans. He said he sees it as a family-oriented complement.. - NOLA.COM
Phunny Phorty Phellows Herald the arrival of the 2015 Carnival Season
Carnival Officially begins with the ride of the Phunny Phorty Phellows on Twelfth Night.The Phunny Phorty Phellows will board at the RTA streetcar barn, located on Willow Street, at 6:30 p.m. on Twelfth Night, Tuesday, January 6th, 2015. The Phunny ride will begin at 7:00 p.m. sharp. Also look for the Krewe de Jeanne D’Arc marching in the French Quarter with a medieval, French and Joan of Arc theme. - MARDIGRASPARADESCHEDULE.COM -
2015 Pictures
Mardi Gras 2015 to enjoy more parades, larger krewes
Mardi Gras 2015 is here and the celebration shows few signs of shrinking. In fact, this 10th Mardi Gras after Hurricane Katrina looks to be another growth year, as both Orleans and Jefferson Parishes welcome a new krewe and many of the existing parades continue to grow and add members.
With the two newest krewes, you will also see more signs of the growth of what could be called a women's movement in Carnival, since those two clubs – Athena in Metairie and the Mystic Krewe of Femme Fatale rolling Uptown - are made up entirely of female members. Both krewes are also newsworthy since they are made up of predominantly African-American female members. Add that to the huge success of the krewes of Muses, Nyx and Iris, and you see the booming popularity of all-female Carnival krewes. Also new this year, the Krewe of Alla, which moved from the West Bank to the Uptown route last year, opened its membership to include women for the first time in its 83-year history.
The old-line krewes of Rex and Proteus will stage high-quality, all-original parades, as they have since the mid-19th century. Rex's theme, honoring the bicentennial of the Battle of New Orleans and other battles and their heroes, is "Wars That Shaped Early America." Proteus will honor its 1896 parade by revisiting a theme of "Nature of the Beasts." That parade satirized political events of the day, which leads us to the other satirical krewes: Chaos and Le Krewe d'Etat, who never disappoint. Many other krewes, as well as the smaller marching clubs, have also adopted satire as their signature, which is always welcome.
As for the big day itself – February 17 - we can only pray for better weather this Mardi Gras than what we endured on Fat Tuesday 2014 - a cold, rainy and dreary day for the history books. . - WWLTV.COM
The Krewe of Alla Goes Coed
The Krewe of Alla, which was established in 1932, is proud to announce that it welcomes women to join the organization. Its board of directors has adopted Bylaws that remove the krewe’s all-male distinction, which it held for 82 years. It is anticipated that Alla will draw couples and families (children age 16 and older) who want to join in the merriment and fellowship that Carnival clubs offer.“We are very excited that women, who have ridden with us as guests for the past two years may become members with all the privileges that entails,” said John A. Beninate II, Alla’s captain. “We heard from many of our members’ spouses, daughters, and girlfriends who want to be members, not merely guests, of our organization. There’s no reason they shouldn’t be, and I’m happy to accept them into our ranks. This is a historic moment for Alla, which has a storied place in New Orleans’ Carnival history and rode on the Uptown route this year for the first time.” Alla’s next membership meeting, which is open to the public, will be held at 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, September 3, at Mardi Gras World, 1380 Port of New Orleans Place, New Orleans. Those wishing to join the krewe may pay dues online at www.kreweofalla.net/join and may follow the krewe on Facebook and Twitter. Dues are only $450 and the krewe does not require members to purchase throw packages, event tickets, or pay an initiation fee.Alla was founded in Algiers and takes its name for that locale (Al., La.). It parades on the St. Charles Avenue route on the first Sunday of Carnival and is the fifth-oldest parading organization in the New Orleans area. . - KREWEOFALLA.NET
New Mardi Gras parade rules passed by City Council; Tucks is in the clear
Krewe of Tucks riders will be able to toss their toilet paper for the foreseeable future, but other krewes and marching groups will have to make changes to comply with new parading rules approved by the City Council.Councilwoman LaToya Cantrell said the new rules are aimed at making Mardi Gras safer for revelers and float riders alike.The rules:
•No generators on truck floats: All electricity will have to come from power inverters in the trucks.•Age limits on riders: No children younger than 3 can ride.•Cap the number of parade permits: The city will issue no more than 30 permits each year, though all existing parading groups will be granted a permit if they paraded the previous year. Right now there are 33 permitted groups.•Strict fire codes for floats and flambeaux.The rules requiring power inverters for truck floats don't go into effect until 2016. District Chief Charles Jonau said the delay was meant to allow parading groups time to absorb the cost of the new equipment, which will cost them several thousand dollars to buy and install.Sonny Borey, chairman of the mayor's Mardi Gras Advisory Committee, a group that represents the parading organizations, said the new rules were backed by all of the board's members. Cantrell said that there is one remaining change to Mardi Gras rules that she would like to see in place: a prohibition against throwing heavy beads and bags of beads.She said that she and her staff are working on the particulars. If they have them ironed out by next month, or so, and are approved by the council, the new limits would be in place for Carnival next year. If not, they wouldn't go into effect until 2016, so krewes don't waste money on throws they can't use.. - NOLACOM
Metairie's Krewe of Zeus applies for St. Charles Parish parade permit
After losing its permit to parade in Jefferson Parish, the Krewe of Zeus is now seeking a parade permit in St. Charles Parish, hoping to roll on Ormond Boulveard in 2015, parish officials said. Sheriff Greg Champagne is now considering the application which was filed July 7. If the permit is approved, Zeus would roll down Ormond Boulevard on the evening of Saturday, Feb. 7. Fat Tuesday in 2015 is Feb. 17. Although St. Charles has a handful of other parades, there appear to be no other parades scheduled that night.The proposed route of the parade is from Ormond Plantation on River Road west to Ormond Boulevard. The parade will then proceed northbound on Ormond Boulevard to Greenwood Drive where it will make a u-turn on Ormond Boulevard and proceed southbound on the boulevard to River Road and then eastbound back to Ormond Plantation. The route of the parade is essentially an out and back route for almost the entire length of Ormond Boulevard, Champagne said. This year, the Jefferson Parish Department of Citizens Affairs suspended the permit for a year, saying it failed to meet minimum participation requirements. Zeus was cited for an insufficient number of marching bands and only nine floats, one fewer than the minimum. A fixture on Lundi Gras since 1957, Zeus was Metairie’s oldest Carnival krewe. - WWLTV.COM
Krewe of Bacchus' founding captain turning reins over to son
Owen “Pip” Brennan Jr., the founding captain of the Krewe of Bacchus, has turned over the reins of the city’s first super krewe to his son, who was elected captain by a vote of the krewe’s members Wednesday. Brennan’s son, Clark Brennan, has served Bacchus for decades as a member of the krewe’s board and chaired several of the krewe’s committees. He has also been a public face of the krewe throughout the year, doing media interviews and appearing at annual events welcoming each year's celebrity monarch. "I am surrounded by a dedicated board of directors who will help me continue the rich traditions of Bacchus while making headway into the future of this incredible krewe," Clark Brennan said in a statement. "Bacchus will sustain its goal of putting on a premiere Mardi Gras parade that focuses the spotlight on the City of New Orleans." Pip Brennan and the founders of Bacchus introduced the concept of a super krewe in 1968, when they founded the club, with a celebrity monarch, huge floats, throws and a post-parade party called the Rendezvous, originally held at the Rivergate. The founders' original idea was to “wake up” what they saw as a somewhat sleepy Carnival season, which had just a handful of parades at the time and no major parade on the weekend before Fat Tuesday. To honor Pip Brennan, Bacchus' board of directors has created the position of "captain emeritus" and elected him to the position. - WWLTV.COM
All-female Krewe of Athena gets approval to parade in Metairie
The Jefferson Parish Council granted approval Wednesday to the new, all-women Krewe of Athena to parade in Metairie during the 2015 Mardi Gras season, Athena spokesperson Chelsie McCormick said. And members are eager to make history. Assistant Principal Taisha Williams-Payne of L.B. Landry-O. Perry Walker High School started the krewe. Williams-Payne, president and krewe captain, said, "I've been doing Mardi Gras for years,'' but there has never been a krewe for her to join with leaders "who look more like me."She said Athena "is history-making." In her research, Williams-Payne, a Marrero resident, said there has been no other krewe led predominately by African-American women in Jefferson Parish. While membership in Athena is limited to women, it is open to all colors and creeds, she said. Athena also has a strong service component, she said. The krewe recently distributed care packages to homeless people under the Claiborne Avenue bridge, and plans are in place to give away school supplies in August to needy chlidren and offer health screenings to the community. Many women in the krewe are educators and nurses, she said. "Our goal is to do Mardi Gras and serve the community." The krewe is aiming to roll the first Friday of Carnival 2015.Visit www.kreweofathena.org. - NOLA.COM • KREWEOFATHENA.ORG
Mardi Gras reality TV show producers seek New Orleans krewe riders
Mardi Gras in New Orleans will get a reality show of its own if TV producers Susie Delava and Johnny Sanchez have their way. The pair sent out a call to krewe members (and to NOLA.com) seeking riders who want to share "the most unique culture in America."Delava, an 18-year veteran of reality TV, has worked on scores of programs seen on Bravo, TLC, Animal Planet, FOX and CBS. Her partner, filmmaker Johnny Sanchez, is a New Orleans native; he has an insider's perspective on Mardi Gras, having experienced the sprawling Carnival season as a band member, float rider and bead-catching spectator.The pair has set up two opportunities for krewe members to meet with them and share stories: Sunday, June 8, noon-5 p.m., Chickie Wah Wah, 2828 Canal St.; and Tuesday, June 10, 4 p.m.-7:30 p.m., Musician's Union Hall, 2401 Esplanade Ave. A short, on-camera interview is part of the process. Coffee and other refreshments will be provided.The producers want a show "about Mardi Gras told through the voices of the people who live it ... complete with the trials and tribulations of balancing family and job with the drive to create the best Mardi Gras possible.
- NOLA.COM
Napoleon construction will keep some parades from traditional route
Mardi Gras krewe captains have learned that the Napoleon Avenue route from Tchoupitoulas Street to St. Charles Avenue will not be open for parades by Carnival season because of ongoing construction. "I'm sure that parade routes will have to be adjusted," said the masked captain of the Knights of Sparta. "I have heard the possibility of using either Louisiana or Jackson avenue to come from the river and begin the parades there. Of course, that would shorten the parade route immensely." It certainly is a problem," said co-captain of the Krewe of Freret Bobby Hjortsberg. "My hope is that the city doesn't decide to cut the route shorter." The Krewe of Freret took the Napoleon route for their inaugural parade. "I hope we can come up with something that allows the route to either be extended longer or at least be the same length. Of course, there's trees and all the things involved with it. It's going to be a massive undertaking, but we have no choice but to come up with a solution," said Hjortsberg.Shortening the route wouldn't be the only option. Some parades already start from Jefferson Avenue, which the masked captain said could be another alternative."There are a number of ways to work that problem, and I'm sure we'll be working with the police in the days to come to solve that problem for each individual organization," he said.. - FOX8LIVE.COM
Number of N.O. parades due to shrink gradually to 30
Under the revised ordinance, the city will issue no more than 30 parade permits each Carnival season, four fewer than in the past. However, any organization granted a permit in the prior Carnival season will be able to hold onto its permit if it meets all requirements. Thus, the number of parades will be reduced only gradually and by attrition. As current organizations drop out, they will simply not be replaced until the number hits 30. Meanwhile, no more than two permits can be issued for night parades on the same date, but again with a grandfather clause exempting organizations that paraded on the corresponding night in the prior year. The number of floats allowed in a single parade has been increased from 27 to 45 “pull units,” defined in the ordinance as a single tractor or mule pulling a float or a tandem float. The minimum number of floats still is 14. Parade organizations also will be required to provide each float with a “unique, sequential Arabic number” corresponding with its order in the parade, ending the practice of labeling some floats with letters and others with numbers or Roman numerals. The rules also establish a minimum number of marching bands for each parade, determined by its number of floats. Parades with 14 to 27 pull units must have at least seven marching bands. Those with 28 to 36 pull units must have at least 10. The biggest parades must have at least 14. The previous rules required that parades of all sizes have no less than seven bands. The new ordinance leaves the rescheduling of rained-out parades to the mayor. There previously had been a schedule dictating when each parade would run if it had to be rescheduled because of bad weather. The ordinance also establishes the Mayor’s Mardi Gras Advisory Council, made up of representatives from each Carnival organization that paraded the previous year, as a committee that reports directly to the mayor. The body, among other things, will consider applications from prospective Carnival krewes and make recommendations to the mayor about whether a permit should be granted. - THENEWORLEANSADVOCATE.COM
Jefferson Parish recommends revoking permits for two Mardi Gras season parades
Two Mardi Gras season parades in Jefferson Parish failed to meet minimum participation requirements this year, so regulators are calling for revocation of their permits. Their report was released Friday from the Department of Citizens' Affairs.The Krewe of Zeus, which rolled on Lundi Gras in Metairie, was slapped with four citations, three of them stemming from an insufficient number of marching bands. Jefferson requires at least five, and regulators consider each missing band to be a separate violation. In addition, Zeus had only nine floats, one fewer than the minimum, according to parish records. Adonis, which paraded Feb. 22 in Terrytown, failed to roll with the minimum 200 costumed riders, according to the report, which does not say how many riders participated. After its 2013 parade, Adonis was fined $200 for having 20 unmasked riders and smoking on a float.Zeus is Metairie's oldest Carnival parade group. It canceled its 2013 parade over predictions of inclement weather.Representatives of Zeus and Adonis could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon.. - NOLA.COM
Krewe of Gretna trucks seeks permission to roll on Mardi Gras 2015
The Krewe of Gretna formally requested permission to roll on Mardi Gras behind the Krewe of Grela, returning a truck parade to the city for the first time in 14 years. Truck parade Captain Michael Benedetto and organizer Jessica Welty presented their plans to the Gretna City Council last week.Benedetto who runs the Krewe of Jefferson truck parade said that krewe has a number of West Bank members who want to parade at home on Fat Tuesday. “We hope we can help them have this opportunity,’’ he said. Welty, Benedetto’s daughter, said the krewe hopes to have 15 truck floats in its debut. Elected officials welcomed the new krewe, with Mayor Belinda Constant saying residents have been wanting a truck parade for years. - NOLA.COM
Errol Laborde and Arthur Hardy offer a review of Mardi Gras 2014
- MYNEWORLEANS.COM
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2013 MARDI GRAS PARADE PICTURES
Rex, King of Carnival 2/12/2013
Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club 2/12/2013
Krewe of Orpheus 2/11/2013
Krewe of Proteus 2/11/2013
Krewe of Bacchus 2/10/2013 by Harriet Cross
Krewe of Thoth 2/10/2013 by Harriet Cross
Krewe of MidCity 2/10/2013
Krewe of Okeanos 2/10/2013 by Harriet Cross
Krewe of Isis 2/9/2013 by Harriet Cross
Krewe of Endymion 2/9/2013
Krewe of Tucks 2/9/2013
Krewe of Iris 2/9/2013
Krewe of Centurions 2/8/2013 by Harriet Cross
Krewe of Morpheus 2/8/2013
Le Krewe d'État 2/8/2013
Krewe of Hermes 2/8/2013
Krewe of Muses 2/7/2013
Knights of Chaos 2/7/2013
Knights of Babylon 2/7/2013
Mystic Krewe of Druids 2/6/2013
Mystic Krewe of Nyx 2/6/2013
Krewe of Caesar 2/2/2013 by Harriet Cross
Krewe of Caesar 2/2/2013
Knights of Excalibur 2/1/2013
Krewe of Atlas 2/1/2013
Mystic Krewe of Barkus 1/27/2013
Mystic Krewe of Barkus 1/27/2013 by Harriet Cross
Krewe of Thor 1/27/2013 by Harriet Cross
Krewe of King Arthur 1/27/2013
Krewe of Carrollton 1/27/2013
Krewe of Pygmalion 1/26/2013
Knights of Sparta 1/26/2013
Krewe of Pontchartrain 1/26/2013
Krewe of Choctaw 1/26/2013
Krewe of Cleopatra 1/25/2013
Krewe of Oshun 1/25/2013
Krewe of Little Rascals 1/20/2013 by Harriet Cross
Krewe du Vieux 1/19/2013
krewedelusion 1/19/2013
Phunny Phorty Phellows Streetcar Ride 1/6/2013
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2012 MARDI GRAS PARADE PICTURES
Mardi Gras Day, (var locations), 2/21/2012
Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club 2/21/2012
Rex, King of Carnival 2/21/2012
Krewe of Orpheus 2/20/2012
Krewe of Proteus 2/20/2012
Krewe of Tucks 2/20/2012
Krewe of Bacchus 2/19/2012
Krewe of Thoth 2/19/2012
Krewe of Mid-City 2/19/2012
Krewe of Okeanos 2/19/2012
Krewe of Iris 2/19/2012
Krewe of NOMTOC 2/19/2012
Krewe of Endymion 2/18/2012
Krewe of Morpheus 2/17/2012
Le Krewe d'Etat 2/17/2012
Mystic Krewe of Hermes 2/17/2012
Krewe of Muses 2/16/2012
Knights of Chaos 2/16/2012
Knights of Babylon 2/16/2012
Mystic Krewe of Druids 2/15/2012
Mystic Krewe of Nyx 2/15/2012
Krewe of Barkus 2/12/2012
Krewe of King Arthur 2/12/2012
Krewe of Carrollton 2/12/2012
Krewe of Pygmalion 2/11/2012
Knights of Sparta 2/11/2012
Krewe of Pontchartrain 2/11/2012
Mystic Knights of Adonis 2/11/2012
Krewe of Choctaw 2/11/2012
Krewe of Caesar 2/11/2012
Krewe of Oshun 2/10/2012
Knights of Excalibur 2/10/2012
Krewe of Atlas 2/10/2012
Krewe of Little Rascals 2/4/2012
Krewe du Vieux 2/4/2012
krewedelusion 2/4/2012
Krewe of Claude 1/29/2012
Phunny Phorty Phellows Streetcar Ride 1/6/2012
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