New Orleans’ Carnival season is reaching its peak with the upcoming “Fat Tuesday” finale, marked by extravagant Mardi Gras parades winding through historic neighborhoods and a lively street party in the French Quarter. Among the city’s cherished parades are those of Rex, King of Carnival, and the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club, both scheduled for Tuesday morning. The Krewe of Orpheus, co-founded by native artist Harry Connick Jr., showcased elaborate floats and notable participants like Connick, actor Neil Patrick Harris, and his husband David Burtka in Monday night’s procession.
New Orleans boasts the largest and most famous Carnival celebration in the nation, blending cherished local traditions with a significant boost to the tourism-driven economy, especially evident in the bustling French Quarter. Visitors like Renitta Haynes from Chattanooga enjoy the friendly atmosphere and approachable locals, adorned in colorful bead necklaces as they sip drinks on Bourbon Street.While New Orleans takes the spotlight, similar pre-Lenten festivities occur throughout Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. Mobile, Alabama, with its six scheduled parades on Tuesday, boasts the nation’s oldest Mardi Gras celebration, while other vibrant Carnival traditions in Brazil and Europe enjoy global recognition.Monday in New Orleans also featured “Lundi Gras,” or Fat Monday festivities along the Mississippi Riverfront, complete with live music and the ceremonial meeting of the chosen King of Carnival by the Rex Organization and the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club’s elected king. This tradition, initiated in 1999, symbolizes the gradual breakdown of social and racial barriers, bridging the historical roots of both predominantly white and Black organizations.
