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.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.