Even though the rest of the city is all atwitter about St. Patrick’s Day and the many parades and parties, Mardi Gras Indian aficionados are more excited about the St. Joseph Day celebrations.
Every year the Indians parade on the Sunday before St. Joseph’s, which happens to fall this year on St. Patrick’s Day. They also parade on St. Joseph’s night—this coming Tuesday.
The festivities begin on Sunday at A.L. Davis Park, formerly known as Shakespeare Park, on the corner of Lasalle and Washington Avenues in Central City at 11 AM. The parade doesn’t begin officially until 1 PM. I say officially, because times often deviate from what is announced.
The parade then heads downtown on Lasalle, turns towards the lake on Martin Luther King Blvd., heads to S. Claiborne, turns uptown to Washington and then returns to the park.
Here’s the first tip—some of the Indians, especially the downtown tribes join in the parade in progress. Others are late, and also join in the parade in progress. So while it’s fun to be at the beginning, make your way to another spot along the route if you want to see every tribe. You will also get the best photos away from the starting point.
On St. Joseph’s night, tribes all across the city come out around dusk to meet other gangs, and practice the age-old rituals. The celebrations often last until quite late.
The second tip—although most of the Indians end up congregating uptown at Second and Dryades Streets, that corner, in fact the whole area, gets super congested. If you are watching Indians uptown, a better spot is by the aforementioned park. You will see downtown Indians heading up Lasalle and down Washington.
The third tip—although there are many tribes from the downtown area, there is not a central gathering point downtown except on St. Bernard Avenue. In years past I have looked for Indians downtown, only to be disappointed by the turnout. It seems that many of the downtown gangs now head straight uptown.
Have fun out there, be safe and courteous to the Indians. They spend thousands of dollars and countless hours on creating their intricate suits, they deserve your respect.
Photos: Ann Marie Brennan
video: Deborah Cotton
