Uptown Messenger (https://uptownmessenger.com/author/zach-brien/page/3/)
Orpheus was one of two parades to roll Monday. The krewe, founded by Harry Connick Jr. and Sr. in 1993, rolled with the theme “The Orpheus Imaginarium.” The parade featured celebrities like actor Mario Lopez, singer Trace Atkins and a few members of the New Orleans Saints – Marshon Lattimore, P.J. Williams, Michael Thomas and more.
Proteus, among the city’s oldest Mardi Gras krewe dating back to 1882, explored the past for their 137th parade. The floats depicted The Silk Road — the ancient trade route connecting east to west.
Bacchus rolled on Sunday with the theme “Starring Louisiana.” The themed floats depicted movies or TV shows that took place or were filmed in Louisiana. These included “NCIS,” “King Creole,” “JFK,” “Interview with a Vampire” and more. The rain had passed through the area by the times the bands started up, so the parade could showcase local marching bands in all their glory.
The Krewe of Morpheus rolled with the theme “Dream Destinations” on Friday, March 1. Morpheus, named from the Greek god of dreams, celebrates illusion and fantasy.
On Friday, Krewe D’Etat rolled with the theme “Paging Dr. Etat,” taking their usual satirical stabs at national and local cultural and political topics. These included the expansion of Louis Armstrong Airport and the growing field of Democratic candidates for president in the 2020 election.
On Friday, the Mystic Krewe of Hermes gave the city the first of three parades to roll on the Uptown route. The krewe paraded with the theme “Court Music of Louis XIV.”
After a two-hour delay because of a steady downpour that canceled the Krewe of Chaos parade, Babylon took to the streets for its 80th anniversary parade. It started in the rain, but the strength of the parade caused the skies to clear.
The annual Marley Gras festival took place at Central City BBQ on Saturday, Feb. 9. The festival featured live music, Jamaican food, handmade crafts, as well as a pepper-eating competition and a jerk-chicken cook-off. The celebration of the connections between New Orleans and Caribbean culture is held during Carnival in honor of reggae pioneer Bob Marley’s Feb. 6 birthday.
On Sunday, Feb. 3, almost all of New Orleans boycotted the Super Bowl in one fashion or another, after the Saints were kept from the big game thanks to a missed call by the referees in the NFC Championship game against the Los Angeles Rams. For many, boycotting the game was more fun than watching the game. Among the Uptown venues hosting boycott events, Dat Dog threw a block party, Kingpin had a second line and Tracey’s served seafood. The boycott put a large dent in local viewership of the Super Bowl with a 26.1 rating. Nationally, the game’s viewership was the lowest since 2009 with a 44.9 rating.
Video by Zach Brien, Uptown Messenger
The city paid tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday at the New Orleans Jazz Market on and a march from the Market to A.L. Davis Park in Central City. Marc Morial, former mayor of New Orleans and president and CEO of the National Urban League, delivered an address at the Jazz Market. There, he talked about New Orleans’ key role in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, co-founded and led by King. The event also featured speeches by Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Gov. John Bel Edwards, as well as music from the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra and a choir from Zulu, featured in the video above singing “We Shall Overcome.”
