Latest news with #Chewbacchus
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Louisiana politicos reveal favorite Mardi Gras pastimes
An alien marches in the Krewe of Chubacchus parade on Feb. 1, 2025, to kick off the Mardi Gras season in New Orleans. (Photo credit: Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator) Yes, it's Carnival time again, and while most New Orleans natives like me would never admit it in front of an outsider, Mardi Gras can lose its appeal after you've lived with it for so many years. Every year, a large, weeks-long party begins whether I'm in the mood or not, bringing crowds, traffic, noise, litter and general debauchery. If you're a local with a lifetime of those experiences, can the Carnival season really produce much more than you've already seen? It's a question I was asking myself a few weeks ago. I've lived with Mardi Gras for about 40 years, watching and marching in every major parade and going to the parties and balls. I've yet to match the level of excitement I felt marching through a packed Superdome as part of the Endymion parade. For these reasons, I thought I knew Carnival quite well, but my perspective changed recently when I went to a relatively new parade for the first time: the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus. Chewbacchus is often shortsightedly described as a Star Wars-themed parade. Because of this pigeon-holed description, I never had much interest in the parade. I only went this year because my wife, who is from the Memphis area, is still discovering our Carnival culture and attends every parade she can. It surprised us both because it's so much more than a 'Star Wars parade.' I've yet to come across a description that does it justice, but Chewbacchus is really a multi-genre, multicultural spectacle full of art and performance with a variety of themes that all incorporate some element of science fiction or space. It was the most unique parade I've ever seen — elaborate costumes, homemade floats and handcrafted tokens and doubloons made from sustainable materials. One float was even set up as a stage with professional acrobats performing in a rolling circus. When I learned that Chewbacchus has been rolling for more than a decade, I started wondering what other hidden Mardi Gras gems have I been missing out on. With Fat Tuesday (March 4) fast approaching, I put this question to some of Louisiana's elected officials. Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser As Louisiana's official tourism ambassador and someone whose job involves promoting nearly every festival and Carnival event across the state, Nungesser was my first call. His office publishes an official state Mardi Gras guide every year with information on the many different Carnival parades and pastimes in Louisiana. For locals who might be losing interest in Mardi Gras, he suggests you invite someone from out-of-town and take them to a parade. 'I get excited by bringing people that have never been and watching them get excited,' Nungesser said. One of the biggest new trends are sustainable throws, similar to the wood and metal crafts given away at Chewbacchus and other parades, because people just prefer them over plastic beads, Nungesser said. Locals should travel to a different part of the state to experience different versions of Carnival, the lieutenant governor said. He highlighted the Courir de Mardi Gras in Eunice and Mamou, where revelers travel the countryside on horseback, chasing chickens and begging townspeople for food ingredients for a communal gumbo pot and an evening of music and celebration. There are different takes on this tradition from Lafayette to Lake Charles. Nungesser also recommended going to Shreveport to catch hot dogs? Rep. Joy Walters, D-Shreveport 'Yes, hot dogs,' said Walters, who has a personal connection to Mardi Gras. Born on Fat Tuesday 1992, she has become a kind of Carnival connoisseur, celebrating it in multiple locations and carrying on the legacy of her family and community. I spoke to her the morning after she was in New Orleans to attend the Mayor's Mardi Gras Ball. Although New Orleans gets most of the attention, Shreveport's Mardi Gras season is growing and becoming known for its own unique traditions, Walters said. The Krewe of Highland in Shreveport is known for tossing some of the strangest items, including full meals of meatballs and spaghetti and, perhaps most famously, hot dogs. The dogs are fully assembled, some with condiments and toppings, and wrapped tightly in aluminum foil, ready to eat. Catching one of their frankfurters affords you instant bragging rights, so be sure to take a photo before eating it. 'If you happen to catch a hot dog, you are one of the chosen few,' Walters said. 'It's like a Zulu coconut or a Muses shoe.' Even if you're not hungry, the Shreveport area offers other rich Mardi Gras traditions. Among her favorites are the Krewe of Harambee and Krewe of Sobek, known for honoring Shreveport's historic African American culture. With the help of her cousins, Walters recently started the Krewe of Pandora as Shreveport's only all-female krewe. Still in the organizing phase, it doesn't yet parade, but Walters said she hopes the krewe will roll next year. Rep. Stephanie Hilferty, R-New Orleans Like me, Hilferty marched in parades while in high school. Although she doesn't celebrate Mardi Gras as much as she used to, Hilferty echoed Nungesser's recommendation of inviting people in from out of town. Some of her fondest memories are when her cousins from Virginia would visit the weekend before Mardi Gras and stay through Fat Tuesday. They would walk down Veterans Boulevard before a Metairie parade began, just see and meet new people, she said. 'That's like a magical part of Mardi Gras … probably one of the most fun parts of it,' Hilferty said Hilferty admitted she's using Mardi Gras week as an opportunity to travel this year, which is not uncommon for New Orleans natives. My family sometimes does the same thing, taking advantage of vacation deals at a time when the rest of the country is working. Outside of the week leading up to Fat Tuesday, Hilferty said, her family usually attends the kid-centered Scout Parade in Lakeview and occasionally the Mystic Krewe of Barkus, a favorite for dog lovers held in the French Quarter. Rep. Jason Hughes, D-New Orleans Hughes recommends people check out the Krewe of Nerfititi parade, which he said is 'without question' his favorite. Established in 2018, Nefertiti is an all-female social club focused on community service, and its parade is the only one that rolls through New Orleans East in Hughes' district. 'It's a very family friendly event and continues to grow each year,' Hughes said. Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie Henry said his favorite Mardi Gras activity is the Krewe of Hermes 'walking parade.' Hermes is a night parade that rolls Uptown the Friday before Mardi Gras, but a huge part of its tradition is a daytime 'walking parade' in which krewe members gather on Royal Street and march through the French Quarter, throwing beads and doubloons before making their way to the parade staging area to prepare for the evening's main event. Gov. Jeff Landry 'I always liked the rural parades and functions,' Gov. Jeff Landry said through his spokesperson, who didn't share which events he was referencing. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Axios
31-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Tet Fest, Chewbacchus parade and more things to do in New Orleans this weekend
New Orleans will be hopping this weekend with the Chewbacchus parade, Lunar New Year events and Super Bowl activities kicking off before the big game Feb. 9. Here are some of our top picks of things to do this weekend. 🐍 Tet Fest celebrates Vietnamese New Year on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Mary Queen of Vietnam Church. Admission is free, but bring cash for all the traditional food. (Details) 🎶 Algiers Mardi Gras Fest starts with a parade at 9am Saturday followed by music and food. The Brass-a-Holics and Amanda Shaw are the headliners. (Details) 👽 The Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus rolls at 7pm Saturday through the Marigny and the French Quarter. Actor Mark Proksch reigns as the master of the mundane. (Details) See the 2025 parade schedule for Mardi Gras. 🦓 Cheer on zonkeys and ostriches Saturday at the Fair Grounds during the exotic animal races. (Tickets) 🥖 New Orleans bakers are hosting a bake sale at La Boulangerie on Saturday to raise money for people affected by the wildfires in Los Angeles. (Details) 🎨 Join the Art Walk on Magazine Street this Saturday night. Galleries will have artist openings and refreshments. (Details) ✨ Temporary light shows start Saturday night on the exterior of the Caesars Superdome and Sunday night on the St. Louis Cathedral. They run through the Super Bowl. (Details) Check out our fan guide of other Super Bowl LIX events to do all week.
Axios
27-01-2025
- Climate
- Axios
After snow slowdown, New Orleans makes a mad dash to Super Bowl and Mardi Gras
After a terror attack and a once-in-a-lifetime snow, New Orleans is in a mad dash to finish preparations to host the Super Bowl, with NFL events beginning in just a week. The intrigue: Oh, and Chewbacchus, our first major parade this Carnival season, rolls on Saturday. Fun fact: This year's Carnival, which began Jan. 6 and runs until Mardi Gras on March 4, lasts nearly 60 days. That's so much more time to celebrate than last year's roughly six-week-long season. Yes, but: The number of working hours got cut short because of the snow, and it was already especially nutty with the Super Bowl smack in the middle of all of the madness. This year's parade schedule shifts slightly because city officials didn't want the NOPD to split focus between patrolling parade routes and Super Bowl crowds. Zoom in: City leaders held Super Bowl prep briefings last week as the NFL continued loading gear into the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and the Caesars Superdome, officials said. "There's probably going to be some pretty furious work as far as 24-hour days trying to get some things done because we want to make sure that we have our best foot forward for Super Bowl," NOLA Ready director Collin Arnold said last week. "But while this [snow] has been a distraction, I don't think it's anything that's been limiting at this point." Security-focused meetings will pick up this week, too, Arnold said. "'Snowmageddon' should only cause us to lose a couple of days," Super Bowl czar and GNO Inc. CEO Michael Hecht tells Axios New Orleans. "We are confident we can make these up in the coming days, assuming Mother Nature cooperates." State of play: As for Mardi Gras, this year's revelry will have a few new rules on the route after City Council officials edited Carnival laws during the offseason. We also expect to see new security measures in place because of the New Year's Day terror attack. Meanwhile, notably absent will be the Krewe of Nyx, which got the axe from the city's official Mardi Gras calendar last summer. (Go deeper) The Krewe of Alla will now parade in Nyx's place on the Wednesday before Mardi Gras. Here's a quick look at some of the new rules for 2025: Banned: Tents, tarps, sofas, scaffolding, charcoal barbecue pits, portable toilets of any kind, ladders that have been strapped together. Confetti cannons are out, and so are beads with any non-krewe-related symbols. Krewe members can't throw toilet paper anymore. (Tucks is exempt from this one.) School and nonprofit bands must have at least 30 participants. Go deeper for more rules impacting krewes. What's next: Les Fous du Carnaval rolls Friday at 8pm in the French Quarter. (Route) Chewbacchus rolls Saturday at 7pm in the Marigny. (Route) Go deeper NOPD hires former New York police commissioner as a terrorism expert. New Orleans strengthens counterterrorism efforts for Mardi Gras and Super Bowl LIX. New Orleans Super Bowl prep is down to punch list items. Mardi Gras 2025 parade schedule.
