Fat Tuesday dawned misty with a threat of rain hanging in the air like the Mardi Gras beads that linger for months on overhead power lines. With the exception of a few brief showers, the rain never materialized.
Our first stop was for the Society of St. Celia parade in the Faubourg Marigny. This group was formed when the Society of St. Anne parade got too big. Musicians including Dave Sobel, Robert Wagner, Alex McMurray, and the spirit of the late Hart McNee gathered in front of Feelings Café before the parade headed into the French Quarter.
A block away the Krewe de Suess was making a magnificent racket with their homemade musical contraption (pictured above).
After a short pit stop (check out our costumes above), we headed to the Tremé neighborhood to find the Zulu parade. Zulu is notorious for being late as they make their way from their traditional starting point uptown on Jackson Avenue.
Perhaps it was the ever-present threat of rain, but the krewe was on time, and the riders were super-generous with throws. Nearly every person that made an attempt to woo one of the riders came back with at least one coconut. We got a record five of the much-desired throws.
Following Zulu we headed into the heart of the French Quarter to find the underground Krewe of Just Us. From their undisclosed starting point, the parade of finely feathered, bejeweled, and be-glittered revelers marched and danced to the incredible accompaniment of the band Red Baraat.
Despite it being their first Carnival, the group of musicians rose to the occasion, and kept the dancers moving down Royal Street, across Rampart Street to the Backstreet Cultural Museum across from the historic St. Augustine Church.
The band engaged in a bit of musical cross-pollination as one of the neighborhood boys, pictured above and caught in this raw video footage, danced in the center of the circle of musicians. At about the three-minute mark, you can see yours truly marveling in the moment.
Following the visit to the Backstreet, the now-weary and slightly worn entourage returned to the French Quarter for a brief stop by the fountain and Molly’s at the Market. From there your hearty correspondent and steady photographic companion headed to Frenchmen Street to wile away the final hours of a stunning Carnival day.
