The deadly violence on Fat Tuesday in New Orleans persisted into Wednesday morning, when another person was shot to death on Magnolia Street in Central City, New Orleans police said.
On Mardi Gras day, February 13, Mardi Gras Indian tribes mask all over New Orleans. Their intricate, hand-sewn suits pay homage to local Native American tribes who helped runaway slaves. The tradition of “masking” Indian dates back to the mid 19th century. There are dozens of tribes all over New Orleans.
A man was shot to death along the St. Charles Avenue parade route late Tuesday afternoon in one of three Mardi Gras day shootings that left three people dead and five more injured across the city, New Orleans police said.
Rex, the king of Carnival, presided over Mardi Gras Day in the year of his city’s tricentennial not by reviewing its entire history, but focusing on its earliest days in a parade titled “L’Ancienne Nouvelle-Orléans.”
The Krewe of Zulu started the party on Mardi Gras day with their annual parade on St. Charles Avenue, featuring appearances by Mayor Mitch Landrieu, Mayor-elect LaToya Cantrell, filmmaker Spike Lee, the New Orleans Saints, and the krewe’s own cadre of celebrities like the Big Shot, the Governor and more.
The Krewe of Bacchus celebrated a major anniversary this year. They made 50, their golden anniversary. With that in mind, most of this year’s floats were gold-themed. It’s “Gold Record” float paid tribute to musicians like The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Kiss and more who have been awarded a golden record for their achievements. It’s “Goldfinger” float paid tribute to the James Bond film by the same name. Actor J.K. Simmons served as the king this year.
Weather has been a problem all throughout the second weekend of carnival season. Sunday was no exception. Fortunately, the parade ran on time, unlike Endymion and other parades. Aside from intermittent rainfall, the parade was uninterrupted by Mother Nature.
One of the hidden gems of Bacchus proved to be the battle of bands that takes place before the parade rolls. The collegiate bands marching in the parade, Southern University, Texas State University, Miles College and Kentucky State University, lined up in front of the Rouse’s Supermarket on Tchoupitoulas and competed. Hundreds of people packed sidewalks and porches or even scaled walls just to get a good look at the competition. In the final head-to-head matchup, Southern University told Mills College “y’all sound like a high school band!”
