Krewe of House Floats

Yardi Gras Stories: Surfing the Irish Channel

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From its seeds in an offhand remark founder Megan Boudreaux posted on Twitter, Krewe of House Floats has quickly grown into a superkrewe, with about 11,800 members in 40 subkrewes across the metro area. All are devoted to keeping the Carnival spirit alive and providing support for locals affected by the pandemic. Throughout the season, Uptown Messenger will be visiting with neighborhood KoHF subkrewes across Uptown to see how they’re doing Yardi Gras. 

The Krewe of House Floats’ neighborhood theme “Channel Surfing” makes for good viewing in the Irish Channel. 

Co-captain Lindsay Grissom came up with the theme. “We hope that it gives everyone the creative room to decorate however they want, since there are so many TV options out there,” Grissom said. “People are also free to decorate without using that theme — we’re just hoping for some Mardi Gras spirit in the Channel.” 

Her co-captain Autumn Town got involved in this project when Admiral Megan Boudreaux first came up with the idea and was looking for subkrewe captains.

Mardi Gras

Two storefront floats roll out on Magazine Street

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Home Malone and Mignon Faget, both on Magazine Street, have installed storefront floats to bring Carnival to shoppers and passers-by. 

Home Malone is festooned with decorative elements from its own shop and those created by Stronghold Studios, complete with their silhouetted “Throw Me Somethin’ Mister” revelers. Kristen Malone said they put their creative minds together and the result is a team effort.   

In keeping with Audubon Riverside theme “There Is a House in New Orleans” for the Krewe of House Floats, the Home Malone float carries the theme “Tropical Green House.” Malone started out making painted furniture and art objects in her carport in 2011. “My parents were both creative and entrepreneurs,” Malone said, “so I have been around this all my life.”

She sold her wares under the name “Home Malone” at festivals and online. And she also taught workshops and hosted “paint parties,” where she provided the wood cut-outs and all the supplies and people could easily create their own artwork without having to invest in a lot of materials. 

Malone sources things from local artists, as well as hiring them to do classes, such as making headdresses and tie-dye.

Mardi Gras

The glittering doesn’t stop for Krewe of Muses as it launches Stilotto and Heels for Healers. Plus, there’s a house float.

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Want to score a Krewe of Muses shoe this year? Despite Carnival 2021 parades being canceled, the Krewe of Muses has gathered its glittering footwear forces, merging them with the group’s innovative philanthropy, for Muses Stilotto 2021 and Heels for Healers. 

Muses Stilotto, a glitter-shoe lottery to attract customers to small local businesses, launches today (Jan. 20) and will run through Feb. 10. 

Here’s how it works: Go to one of the more than 40 participating small businesses along the Muses parade route. Purchase an item — or two or three — then scan the QR code on the Stilotto placard at the business.

Photo-story

House float brings a piece of a Acadiana to the Lower Garden District

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There was dancing and live music on Friday (Jan. 15) to unveil the third house float of the Krewe of Red Beans’ effort to put laid-off Mardi Gras artists to work. The theme for the Lower Garden District house float is “Acadiana Hayride,” and it features portraits of Cajun and zydeco musicians, dancing couples and of course a horse. The latter seems to block the entrance to the house. “We just squeeze in around it,” laughed homeowner Michael Burke. 

When homeowner Stacey Burke donated to the Krewe of Red Beans’ “Hire A Mardi Gras Artist” crowdfunding site, she was doing it to support out-of-work Mardi Gras artists who lost their livelihoods with canceled parades.

Mardi Gras

Phunny Phorty Phellows herald Carnival with creativity and caution

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With masks creatively incorporated into costumes, 25 members of the Phunny Phorty Phellows boarded a streetcar Wednesday at the Willow Street Car Barn for their traditional Twelfth Night trip down St. Charles Avenue. Since 1981, the krewe has heralded the beginning of the New Orleans Carnival season. Following COVID-19 restrictions, the 25 participants represented about 25 percent of the group’s usual size, the public was not allowed inside the streetcar barn to send them off, and crowds along the route were asked to wear masks and keep to small socially distanced groups.

Magazine Street

Krewe of Red Beans partners with Magazine Street shops, the sole proprietors of its Carnival 2021 merchandise

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No parades will be gracing Magazine Street in the Mardi Gras season that begins Wednesday, but the Uptown corridor will still have a place of honor during Carnival 2021. Magazine Street will be the only place to purchase merchandise for the Krewe of Red Beans’ “Hire a Mardi Gras Artist” project, the krewe announced. “Hire a Mardi Gras Artist” is an effort to get the laid-off Mardi Gras artists back to work while brightening the season for all New Orleanians. As an extension of this initiative, the krewe has partnered with the Magazine Street Merchants Association to sell special products that celebrate its “Hire a Mardi Gras Artist” project. Krewe merchandise for sale includes T-shirts, hoodies and flags that relate to the campaign.

Mardi Gras

Take a sneak peek at Carnival 2021’s house float project

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The first of the “house floats” that will be dotting our urban landscape this Carnival season has already made an appearance Uptown. Sponsored by the Krewe of Red Beans and called “Hire a Mardi Gras Artist,” the idea is to put those out-of-work artists — usually frantically designing and painting floats this time of year — back to work. With parades canceled, many Mardi Gras float artists found themselves suddenly unemployed. One of those artists, Caroline Thomas, proposed the idea to the Krewe of Red Beans to create a crowd-funding site to finance house decorations that could look like floats. The initiative helps keep our Mardi Gras artists afloat while creating a Carnival atmosphere in our neighborhoods.

Mardi Gras

Bacchus announces plans for virtual parade via its own app

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The Krewe of Bacchus had announced plans to hold its super-parade, before Mayor LaToya Cantrell called off the 2021 parade season. The superkrewe has not given up. It’s just, like many events this year, going virtual. Clark Brennan, captain of Bacchus, announced Monday that Bacchus will have a virtual parade in 2021 using the new “Throw Me Something Bacchus!” mobile app.

city government

Council seeks public input on Carnival safety

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The coronavirus restrictions prevented the City Council from holding a hearing on Carnival safety planned for the March meeting of the Emergency Preparedness and Cybersecurity Special Committee, established in response to multiple tragic events that occurred in the past year. District D Councilman Jared Brossett, the committee’s chairman, has released the following statement seeking public input:

“I was looking forward to hearing from the public and Mardi Gras krewes on how we can make Mardi Gras safer for all who share in this annual tradition. I value your input and believe that success depends on us working together. “Since we are unable to meet in-person at this time, the Council wants to invite the public to submit written comments via email for safety improvements you believe the Council should consider. All written comments submitted to the Council via email by May 1st will be shared with Mayor Cantrell’s Mardi Gras Advisory Council.