The Phunny Phorty Phellows prepare to leave from the streetcar barn on Willow on their Twelfth Night ride in 2013. (Robert Morris, Uptown Messenger)
Two celebratory streetcars will herald the arrival of Carnival season along St. Charles Avenue tonight.
The Phunny Phorty Phellows has been taking its Twelfth Night ride since 1981, when its founders revived a historic Mardi Gras organization that took to the streets from 1878 through 1898.
It will be followed by the Funky Uptown Krewe, which began its Twelfth Night streetcar ride in the 2019 Carnival season.
At 6:30 p.m., the masked Phellows gather at the Willow Streetcar Barn, 8200 Willow St. The Funky Uptown Krewe gathers at Bouree, South Carrollton Avenue and Jeannette Street.
The Storyville Stompers provide the soundtrack for the Phunny Phorty Phellows. Before the ride, the Krewe of Oak stops by toast the Carnival season.
The Funky Krewe will be accompanied by DJ Mannie Fresh. Carrying out the disk theme, the new streetcar krewe has a signature throw: bedazzled vinyl records.
Both krewes head back Uptown after turning around at Lee Circle. The PPP circles back to the Willow Streetcar Band, while the Funky Uptown Krewe ends the ride at Fat Harry’s, 4330 St. Charles Ave.
You can catch the krewes after 7 p.m. along the St. Charles streetcar route. The National Weather Service predicts partly cloudy skies with lows in the 50s.
For updates, check the Phellows’ Facebook page here and the Funky Uptown Krewe here.
William Frank receives a throw from a member of the Phunny Phorty Phellows in the Willow Streetcar barn in 2019. (Zach Brien, UptownMessenger.com)
