Uptown Messenger (https://uptownmessenger.com/tag/parades/page/3/)
The first weekend of Uptown parades closes out Sunday (Feb. 20) with three crowd-pleasing daytime parades. The sun is expected to shine on Femme Fatale, Carrollton and King Arthur. The National Weather Service promises near-perfect parade weather with highs in the upper 60s. The official beginning of parades is at Napoleon Avenue and Prytania Street, but krewes line up well in advance.
The Uptown parade season begins tonight with the krewes of Oshun, Cleopatra and Alla on the St. Charles Avenue route. It will be a special anniversary ride for two of the krewes. Oshun is celebrating its 25th anniversary. And Alla, one of the city’s oldest krewes, will close out the night of parades on its 90th anniversary.
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. The National Weather Service predicts areas of dense fog before 9 a.m. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 66. Winds will be calm. Sounds nice.
The Krewe of Orpheus rolled in Uptown on Lundi Gras with the theme “Beastly Kingdoms of Orpheus.” The krewe of 1,500 male and female members, whose first parade rolled in 1994, rode on 38 floats with titles such as “The Cockatrice,” “The Tree Wyrm” and The Bridge Troll.” Several celebrities reigned as Orpheus 2020 monarchs, including Bryan Cranston, Charlie Day, Mary Elizabeth Ellis and Lauren Alaina. Popular throws included Orpheus collapsible water bottles, LED ram horns, plush gardenias, glitter Orpheus masks and lighted beads. Orpheus uncoupled its four tandem floats in response to the city’s announcement that tandem floats, multiple floats connected together and pulled by one tractor, will not be allowed for the remainder of this year’s Carnival season. The super krewe’s four tandem floats, including the signature eight-unit Smoky Mary, were uncoupled and each segment was pulled by its own tractor.
The Krewe of Proteus’ 230 male members presented a traditional parade Monday (Feb. 24) with 20 floats, 34 lieutenants on horseback and 48 flambeaux rolling through Uptown. The parade them was “Feasts and Libations” with floats titles such as “Absinthe,” “Feasts of Fools” and “Delicacies of the Deep.” Founded in 1881, Proteus is Carnival’s second-oldest parading organization. The krewe’s most sought after throws included LED flambeaux and plush trident crowns along with lighted beads.
The all-day Lundi Gras festivities culminate with two spectacular parades, one a study in traditional elegance and another in contemporary opulence. After the weekend’s parade-perfect weather, the National Weather Service has rain in today’s forecast. A slight chance during the day goes up to 60% at night. Temperatures will be pleasant, however, with low tonight of around 58 degrees. The first parade is named for a prophetic sea-god known in Greek mythology as the shepherd of the oceans.
“Bacchus’ Wild, Wild West” was the parade theme Sunday (Feb. 23) as the Krewe of Bacchus rolled through Uptown with floats titled “Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley,” “Sheriffs and Outlaws” and “Lewis and Clark.” The superkrewe’s famed multi-chassis floats had to be separated, but that didn’t lessen the spectacle. Bacchus LII and 30 lieutenants on horseback led the club’s 1,600 members riding 32 floats. Marching bands included several from out-of-state colleges, part of the 100-plus-unit parade. Singer, songwriter and “Masked Singer” judge Robin Thicke reigned as Bacchus LII, 32 years after his father, the late actor Alan Thicke, served as Bacchus XX in 1988.
After the second fatality of the 2020 Carnival season involving a tandem float, the city Saturday night barred krewes from pulling more than one chassis with a single tractor for the remainder of the season. The Krewe of Bacchus — known for its long, elaborate tandem floats — has agreed to break up its floats for tonight’s parade in light of the two tragedies. The Krewe of Thoth had planned to debut a three-section train float in its afternoon parade. It too will be split up. The second tandem-related death occurred during Saturday evening as Endymion float 14 was passing South Galvez Street and Canal.
Five parades will roll through Uptown today and tonight, with the Knights of Chaos mixing things up by joining the Sunday daytime roster after Thursday’s weather-related cancellation. Bacchus will rule the night, with changes to its famed tandem floats. Weather should not be a problem today. The National Weather Service forecasts cloudy but dry skies with a high near 64 and winds from 5 to 10 mph. Krewe of Okeanos
It’s been 71 years since Okeanos first rolled on St.
The Krewe of Tucks hosted their 52nd annual parade Saturday (Feb. 22) with 1,800 men and women traveling Uptown on 36 super-sized floats. “Tucks Hits the Sweet Spot” is this year’s satirical parade theme with float titles like “Bit-O-Honey Boo Boo,” “Blow Pops Suckers,” “Gushers” and “Friar’s Original Hard Candy.” New this year is a handicapped accessible tandem float. Kevin Hellman and Amy Creel reign as king and queen. Signature throws included colored toilet paper, emoji-shaped suckers, candy bracelets and toilet brushes decorated by Magnolia School’s special adults.
