Rolling tonight: Ancient Druids, Mystic Krewe of Nyx

The steady weeklong drum beat to Mardi Gras begins tonight, with the Ancient Druids and the Mystic Krewe of Nyx parades. The all-male Druids and the all-female Nyx are known for delivering barbs back and forth, employing signs on their floats for veiled insults. This friendly rivalry can add a touch of drama to this parade weeknight. Nyx, however, has been undergoing its own dramas. Its 2022 parade was smaller than the usual extravaganza after a mass exodus from the krewe and a class action suit against its captain in 2020.

Don’t pitch it, fix it, at the Repair Café in Broadmoor

“We got press!” This was the surprised cry from Billie Golan, who started New Orleans’ own Repair Café in the summer of 2022. Although the bi-monthly event has rolled out with little fanfare, the free community resource has gained popularity. Here’s how it works: twice a month (one Monday and one Wednesday of each month) Repair Cafe volunteers set up shop on the second floor of the Broadmoor Arts & Wellness Center to help all who enter repair their goods and sundry: bikes, electronics and appliances, clothing and jewelry, furniture. There are snacks provided, and those getting repairs done are expected to assist the repair experts if they can, and hopefully learn about how to repair their items for the future. Donations are appreciated, but not required, though visitors may be expected to help pay for the cost of parts, if applicable. 

Though the Repair Café is new to New Orleans, it is far from the first of its kind.

Trio of Nyx spinoff krewes roll with established krewes, focus on social justice

The Mystic Krewe of Nyx parade grew quickly after its first parade in 2012, but its collapse was even quicker. The women’s krewe continues to parade on the Wednesday before Mardi Gras, though its 2022 parade was significantly smaller. Many Nyx members exited the krewe in summer 2020 over a controversial social media posts by krewe Captain Julie Lea as the Black Lives Matter movement was surging nationwide. At that time, some members cited other complaints about Lea’s leadership, and a class-action lawsuit was filed. If you looked closely at the Saturday (Feb.

Police blotter: Two shootings, two armed robberies reported Uptown during the weekend

Two shootings, including one injuring a juvenile, and two armed robberies were reported in Uptown neighborhoods by the New Orleans Police Department during the weekend. A store manager was injured during an early morning robbery in the 3200 block of South Carrollton Avenue. An employee was held at gunpoint while leaving the business Monday (Feb. 13) at about 3:40 a.m. A second assailant entered the store and demanded cash from the manager. The manager complied but was struck in the head with a firearm before the two robbers fled.

Move over, po’boys, Francolini’s Deli brings the Italian sandwich to New Orleans

Tara Francolini was prompted to open Francolini’s Italian Deli when she started missing the sandwiches of her New Jersey youth. The Italian sandwich shop pops up every Tuesday at The Rabbit’s Foot on Prytania Street and will soon open a brick-and-mortar on at Tchoupitoulas. Francolini was born and raised in New Jersey and, after attending school in Boston, she moved overseas and lived in Australia and New Zealand. During her travels abroad, she began missing the Italian sandwiches she grew up on. When she returned to Massachusetts, she realized how unique Italian sandwiches are to the New Jersey area.

Rolling Sunday: Femme Fatale, Carrollton and King Arthur close out the first Uptown parade weekend

The first weekend of Uptown parades closes out Sunday (Feb. 12) with three crowd-pleasing daytime parades: the enticing Mystic Krewe of Femme Fatale, the homeboy Krewe of Carrollton and the regal King Arthur. One of the city’s newest parading krewes, the Mystic Krewe of Femme Fatale, will celebrate its 10th anniversary on Sunday. The parades take the Uptown route, with Femme Fatale beginning on Napoleon Avenue and Magazine Street and Carrollton and King Arthur making a Magazine Street strut after starting on Magazine and Jefferson Avenue. Mystic Krewe of Femme Fatale

The Mystic Krewe of Femme Fatale, the first parading krewe founded by and for African-American women, is staging its ninth parade with about 1,000 riders on 20 floats by Kern Studios.

Rolling Saturday: Legion of Mars debuts, leading the way for Pontchartrain, Choctaw, Freret and Pygmalion

The first Saturday has long been very full parade day, with five krewes and their accompanying bands and dancers keeping the Uptown route lively from early afternoon until late evening. Now it’s even livelier. A new parade, the Legion of Mars, debuts this year, making the number of parades an even half-dozen. The krewe made up of military members, veterans and first-responders has previously paraded with the Krewe of Freret and with the Krewe of Alla. This year, for the first time, it has a parade of its own, leading the way on the first Saturday of Uptown parades.

Rolling tonight: Oshun, Cleopatra, Alla kick off the Uptown parade season

Carnival is about to get rolling. The Uptown parade season begins tonight with the krewes of Oshun, Cleopatra and Alla on the St. Charles Avenue route. This is the first year since the 2020, right before the pandemic shutdown, that krewes are parading on their traditional Uptown routes. And this year the queen of Uptown’s first Friday, the Krewe of Cleopatra, celebrates its golden 5oth anniversary.