The Nightlife Blogger: Bet You Didn’t Know This About The New Orleans Mardi Gras Parades

Answers To The Questions You Need To Know

By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Nightlife Blogger

You’ve heard about them, seen them on the news and – perhaps if you’re lucky – have even been to them.

And I’ve been in them, and I’m here to tell you a few things about the Mardi Gras parades you may not know about, but which are very interesting things to know about them.

• #1 The Length Of The Parades

For starters, they are longer than you think. A lot longer.

I’ve marched in them in a band and while a fantastic experience – girls were coming out of the crowd at me, flashing their boobs, planting big and wet kisses right on my smacker and putting beads around my neck – they wipe you out by the end.

You have no idea where the end is and ask a cop, well forget it; they are too busy keeping sanity (well, relative sanity, anyway) to care about you. I recall the parades being more than 20 miles. That’s a lot of walking.

• #2 The Parades Are Not On Bourbon Street Or In The French Quarter

It is natural to assume the parades take place in the biggest party spot of New Orleans, which is Bourbon Street and the French Quarter. But other than one the first weekend, they do not; rather the ones are in the city in Mid-town just beyond the warehouse district. You can walk there from “the Quarter (about half an hour to 45 minutes with no stopping). That’s your best best, even with Uber/Lift, because of the massive crowds. The good thing is you can have a cocktail with you the entire time because of the  knowledge I provide in point #3.

• #3 – You Can Drink In The Streets During The Parades

In case you think you need to have a “concealed cocktail,” you don’t, for drinking in the streets along the parade routes are legal. Frankly, if it were not, then it would be impossible to enforce so why bother in the first place. Officials, as well as the police, let the good times roll. Just don’t do anything stupid because the cops will come down on you with force and arrest you. (This is a warning to foolish people who like to do foolish things. Consider it your PubClub.com Mardi Gras public service announcement.)

Here is a rundown of the 2019 parades, times and the locations:

• Friday, March 1 (French Quarter): Krewe of Busom Buddies, 11:30 a.m. Uptown: Krewe of Hermes, 6 p.m. Le Krewe d’Etat, 6:30 p.m. Krewe of Morpheus, 7 p.m.
• Saturday, March 2 (Uptown): Krewe of Iris,11 a.m.; Tucks. Mid-City: Krewe of Endymion, 4:15 p.m.
• Sunday March 3 (Uptown): Krewe of Okenos, 11 a.m.; Krewe of Mid-City, 11:45 a.m.; Krewe of Thoth, Noon; Crewe of Bacchus, 5:15 p.m.
• Luni Gras, March 4 (Uptown): Krewe of Proteus, 5:15 p.m. Krewe of Orpheus, 6 p.m.
• Mardi Gras Day, March 5 (Uptown): Krewe of Zulu, 8 a.m.; Krewe of Rex, 10 a.m.; Krewe of Elks Orleans, 11:30 a.m.; Crescent City (after Elks). There are also marching bands on Mardi Gras: Jefferson City Buzzards, Uptown, 6:45 a.m. Lyons Carnival Club and Corner Carnival Club, Uptown, 7 a.m. Pete Fountain’s Half-Fast Walking Club and Mondo Kayo Social & Marching Club, Uptown, 7:45 a.m. Societe de Saint Anne, French Quarter (Marginey/Bywater), 10 a.m. KOE, French Quarter, 10:15 a.m.