Mardi Gras is the final day of Carnival or Shrovetide before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday", reflecting the practice of the last night of consuming rich, fatty foods in preparation for the fasting season of Lent.
Pierre Dewey LaFontaine Jr., known professionally as Pete Fountain, was an American jazz clarinetist.
The Mistick Krewe of Comus (MKC), founded in 1856, is the oldest extant New Orleans, Louisiana Carnival Krewe, the longest to continually parade with few interruptions from 1856 to 1991, and continues to hold a tableau ball for its members and guests, to date. Initially its public facade was The Pickwick Club.
Rex is a New Orleans Carnival Krewe which stages one of the city's most celebrated parades on Mardi Gras Day. Rex is Latin for "King", and Rex reigns as "The King of Carnival".
The holiday of Mardi Gras is celebrated in southern Louisiana, including the city of New Orleans. Celebrations are concentrated for about two weeks before and through Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday, the season is known as Carnival and begins on 12th Night, January 6th, and extends until midnight before Ash Wednesday. Club, or Krewe, balls start soon after, though most are extremely private, with their Kings and Queens coming from wealthy old families and their courts consisting of the season's debutantes. Most of the high society Krewes do not stage parades. As Fat Tuesday gets nearer, the parades start in earnest. Usually there is one major parade each day ; many days have several large parades. The largest and most elaborate parades take place the last five days of the Mardi Gras season. In the final week, many events occur throughout New Orleans and surrounding communities, including parades and balls.
The Krewe of Endymion is a New Orleans Mardi Gras super krewe and social organization.
The Krewe of OAK is a small neighborhood New Orleans Mardi Gras krewe and parade held in the Carrollton neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana. The parade starts and ends on Oak Street, presumably the origin of the name, although members say that OAK stands for "Outrageous And Kinky".
"La Société de Saint Anne" is a New Orleans Mardi Gras marching krewe that parades each Mardi Gras Day. La Société de Saint Anne was founded in 1969 by residents of the French Quarter and nearby Faubourgs who recognized the need for a return to earlier traditions of "walking krewes" which at one time were more prevalent but which had been overshadowed by the development of larger float parades in the early 20th Century. As the float parades grew in scale and number, they were forced to move out of the narrow streets of the French Quarter and onto broader avenues uptown and in mid-City. The walking krewes were groups of neighbors from various wards of the city who took to the streets on foot, in celebration of their common love for the City of New Orleans and the food, music, drink, spirituality, and lifestyles that developed there during the 18th, 19th & 20th centuries. La Société de Saint Anne was formed to bring the celebration back down to street level and to revive this old tradition of celebration in the residents' own area. In the ensuing years, as the more bohemian elements of the French Quarter were forced to move further downriver to the Marigny and Bywater neighborhoods by rising property values and rents in the French Quarter, the krewe grew in size and inspired many other such walking krewes to form as subkrewes or as separate krewes altogether. The original krewe now can be identified by the cluster of crabnets and the presence of the Storyville Stompers.
Krewe of Tucks is a New Orleans Mardi Gras krewe.
KOE, formally known as the Krewe of Elvis, is a Mardi Gras parading organization that consists of members from around the world who meet in New Orleans for Mardi Gras.
Krewe of Bacchus is a New Orleans Mardi Gras super krewe.
Mardi Gras in the United States is celebrated in a number of cities and regions in the country. Most of these places trace their Mardi Gras celebrations to French, Spanish, and other Catholic colonial influences on the settlements over their history.
The Krewe du Vieux is a New Orleans Mardi Gras krewe more fully known as the Krewe du Vieux Carré.
The Krewe of Proteus (KoP) is a New Orleans Carnival Krewe founded in 1882, the oldest continuously parading Old Line Krewe.
The Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus is a science fiction–themed Mardi Gras krewe, religious and parade organization, that also features fantasy and horror groups, among other fandoms. Based in New Orleans, Louisiana, as of the 2019 parade, the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus has over 2500 dues-paying members who call themselves "ChewbacchanALIENs" or "Chewbs."
The Mystic Krewe of Nyx is an all-female Krewe organization, based in New Orleans. Organized and founded by Julie Lea in 2011, the Nyx's first pageant, "NOLA Reality Reigns," was featured on the St. Charles Avenue Parade Route on February 15, 2012. The Mystic Krewe of Nyx is named after the Greek goddess of the night, Nyx.
The Krewe of Cleopatra is a New Orleans Mardi Gras Super Krewes and social organization.
Krewe of Thoth is a New Orleans Mardi Gras krewe.
Krewe of Okeanos is a New Orleans Mardi Gras krewe.
Henri Schindler is a New Orleans Mardi Gras historian and float designer.
