The rain has cleared out for Lundi Gras, though some clouds may linger, the National Weather Service reports. Temperatures are expected to drop to the lower 40s tonight, so winter gear will be required to watch last night parades of the season, Proteus and Orpheus.
The “Soma, the Moon” float in the Krewe of Proteus rolls on Napoleon Avenue. (Robert Morris, UptownMessenger.com)
Krewe of Proteus
The second oldest parade in New Orleans Carnival lineup, Proteus still uses its original chassis — from the early 1880s — for its floats. The 20 lush, elegant floats, along with the flambeaux, give the parade an old-world aura. The krewe is named for an early sea-god. “The so-called Old Man of the Sea is a prophetic sea divinity, son of either Poseidon or Oceanus,” the krewe’s website says. We’ll never know the identity of the king riding in the giant seashell. The krewe did not parade from 1993 to 1999 but returned to the streets on Lundi Gras 2000. The theme this year is “Travels and Treasures of the Silk Road.”
(via ready.nola.gov)
START: 5:15 p.m. at Napoleon Avenue and Magazine Street
Proceed on Napoleon
Right on St. Charles. Avenue
Proceed on St. Charles around Lee Circle
Right on Canal Street
END: Marriott Hotel, 555 Canal St.
Click on the map to enlarge the Proteus route map.
The Orpheus “Trojan Horse” float rolls down Napoleon Avenue. (Zach Brien, UptownMessenger.com)
Krewe of Orpheus
When the superkrewe of Orpheus first paraded in 1994, it had a record number of riders: 700. Now you can expect about 1,400 riders on the krewe’s 38 floats, which include the eight-unit “Smoky Mary” and the three-unit “Leviathan.” A musically themed krewe co-founded by Harry Connick Jr., Orpheus is named for a mythical figure whose lyre-playing was so beautiful the trees bent to hear it. This year, look for gold Music Legend doubloons honoring Charles Neville. The theme of Orpheus 2019 is Orpheus “Imaginarium.”
(via ready.nola.com)
START: 6 p.m. Tchoupitoulas St. and Napoleon Ave.
Right on Napoleon Ave.
Right on St. Charles Ave.
Proceed on St. Charles. Ave around Lee Circle
Right on Canal St.
Right on Tchoupitoulas St.
Left on Calliope St.
Right on Convention Center Blvd.
Left on Henderson St.
END: Hall J, Ernest M. Morial Convention Center
Click to enlarge the Orpheus route map.
