Rolling on Mardi Gras: Zulu, Rex, walking clubs, truck parades

The key to a good Mardi Gras Day is getting up early. There is so much fun to be had — don’t miss a minute. And before you go out, put on a costume. It could just be a mask, a silly hat, a cape, something sparkly, feathers, glitter. Mardi Gras is not just a spectator event.

Rolling tonight: Proteus and Orpheus top off Lundi Gras festivities

The all-day Lundi Gras festivities culminate with two spectacular parades, one a study in old-world elegance and another in contemporary opulence. National Weather Service tells us that clouds will roll in after a mostly sunny Lundi Gras, and patchy fog is expected after dark. The night will remain mild, with lows around 62. Krewe of Proteus

Presenting the second oldest parade in the Carnival lineup, the Krewe of Proteus adheres to tradition just it adheres to the chassis it has been using since the 1880s, when it was formed as an offshoot of the mystic krewes of Momus and Comus. It stopped parading for six years in the 1990s, returning to the streets again 1999.

Rolling Sunday: Okeanos, Mid-City, Thoth and Bacchus

Four parades will roll through Uptown today and tonight (Feb. 19) — all back on their traditional routes. The Krewe of Thoth will be celebrating its 75th anniversary on its idiosyncratic Uptown route. The daytime parades will roll under mostly sunny skies, with a high near 65. For Bacchus tonight, it will be partly cloudy, with a low around 55 with a southwest wind 5 to 10 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

Rolling Saturday: Krewe of Iris soars, Krewe of Tucks tests the speed limit

The sun is expected to shine on today’s Uptown parades, Iris and Tucks. The Krewe of Iris, after all, has a special relationship with the goddess of the skies. The sun will warm the chilly temps, but only into the mid- to upper-50s, according to the National Weather Service. During the Krewe of Tucks parade, however, expect a steady rain of toilet paper to fall over the route. The Iris parade begins on the lakeside of St.

Rolling tonight: Mystic Krewe of Hermes, Le Krewe d’Etat, Krewe of Morpheus

The Fat Friday parades take over the Uptown parade route tonight, ushering in a busy Carnival weekend. The elegant Mystic Krewe of Hermes is followed by the irreverent Le Krewe d’Etat and the fast-growing Krewe of Morpheus. All of tonight’s parades follow the traditional Uptown route and include the family-friendly stretch of Magazine from Jefferson to Napoleon, where neighbors gather to enjoy the parades together. The night will be mostly cloudy and cooler than the past two nights, with a low in the upper 30s, according to the National Weather Service. Revelers will need to add some layers to their parade-watching outfits.

Rolling tonight: Watch the weather ahead of Babylon, Chaos and Muses

As a cold front moves in, thunderstorms and rain showers are predicted for this evening (Feb. 16), so the city will be carefully watching the weather for tonight’s parades. The latest word from City Hall is that the parades will roll as scheduled. Check for any updates, and come prepared for a wet and chilly night. Temperatures could dip into the mid-40s, according to the National Weather Service.

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.

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.

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.