krewedelusion Mardi Gras parade rolls weirdly on Saturday, Jan. 27
The krewedelusion foot parade follows Krewe du Vieux through the Marigny and French Quarter on Saturday (Jan. 27), starting at 7 p.m. The 9-year-old procession is like an artist: scruffy, self-involved, difficult to follow sometimes, but soulful, smart and strangely adorable.
Last year, krewedelusion seemed to come into its own. In the aftermath of the bitterly contested 2016 presidential election, the krewe decided to do without royalty, thereby suggesting (fairly or not) a vacuum of leadership across the land. Ironically, the somewhat anarchistic parade never seemed so cogent and well led.
Among onlookers, there were some in the crowd who suggested it was even more satisfying in 2017 than the belovedly bawdy Krewe du Vieux that preceded it. The twin processions make Saturday one of the not-to-miss nights of the Mardi Gras season. For some of us it is THE not-to-miss night.
Krewedelusion doesn't announce its theme beforehand. The 2018 ruler is Frenchman Street mainstay Washboard Chaz Leary, the "Emperor of the Thimbles." Look for the smile-inducing Krewe de Seuss, The Merry Antoinettes who have a brand new guillotine to show off, and a new marching group called Full Bush.
The mind boggles.
The parade begins at 7 p.m. at the corner of Royal Street and Franklin Avenue.
It follows Royal Street to Frenchmen Street.
It turns left on Frenchmen Street to Decatur Street
It turns right at Decatur Street to Dumaine Street
Right on Dumaine Street to Chartres Street
Right on Chartres Street to Barracks Street
Left on Barracks Street to Royal Street
Left on Royal Street to Toulouse Street
Right on Toulouse to North Rampart Street