15-05-2025
How tariffs are impacting New Orleans parades
With the Trump administration's back-and-forth on tariffs, at least one New Orleans parade organizer is planning to forgo imported throws altogether.
Why it matters: The change could accelerate local efforts to make parade throws friendlier to the planet.
The latest: Krewe of Boo organizer Brian Kern tells Axios New Orleans that he's focused exclusively on throws made in the U.S. for this year's Halloween parade.
"It's long overdue," Kern says.
The big picture: President Trump's trade policies with China directly impact the bottom line for parade organizers, who primarily rely on imports for beads and other common throws.
Trump administration leaders this week announced a 90-day period of lower tariffs as negotiations continue. Go deeper.
Mardi Gras parade organizers still have time to wait out those talks, says Dan Kelly, who runs Beads by the Dozens and captains Endymion. "We're putting in orders now," he says, but just not having them shipped from China until things settle. "It's just got to ship by Oct. 1."
Yes, but: With a parade date in the fall, Kern doesn't have that kind of time, so he's already made the decision.
"I'm moving full-force toward all American-made items this year," he says. "We'll focus as much as we can on Louisiana-made — but the tariffs are affecting things."
Instead, he says, throws will focus on consumable products like coffee, Elmers' CheeWees, Peeps, MoonPies and Jambalaya Girls' red beans and jambalaya mixes.
Between the lines: "We may not have any light-up beads, and honestly, I don't really care."
