by grahamiam12288 | Jun 22, 2022 | Backstreet Mardi Gras, Local Color and Customs
As recently as the early 1980s, only a handful of tribes appeared at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. In 2022, more than 40 performed on stage and paraded through the Fair Grounds, giving attendees from around the world a taste of one of the city’s most...
by grahamiam12288 | Jun 22, 2022 | Backstreet Mardi Gras, Carnival Culture at Jazz Fest, Local Color and Customs
Carnival culture at Jazz Fest 2024 Jazz Fest has consistently showcased aspects of Carnival, notably performances and parades by New Orleans’s iconic Mardi Gras Indian tribes. But there’s much else of interest for those curious about the city’s annual outburst of...
by josh | Mar 30, 2022 | Backstreet Mardi Gras, Local Color and Customs
Baby Dolls The early Baby Dolls had a risqué reputation but eventually came to be seen as trailblazers — claiming public space to express their “raddy” style and giving the back of their hand to hypocritical gender conventions. Today, they’re renowned for their...
by grahamiam12288 | Jan 23, 2016 | Local Color and Customs, Mardi Gras Miscellany
Party Hounds on Parade Participants in a Williams College reunion go all out for the 8th annual Mystic Krewe of Barkus parade, with a yellow Labrador, Ryerson, a.k.a. Lady Ryerson de Bark, cross-dressing as a Medieval damsel and Belle, a black Lab, got up in a suit of...
by grahamiam12288 | Jan 23, 2016 | Local Color and Customs, Mardi Gras Miscellany
If Rex and Zulu can arrive at the riverfront with ceremonial fanfare, as a prelude to their moment in the sun, why not the canine Queen of Barkus?
by grahamiam12288 | Feb 18, 2014 | Local Color and Customs, Mardi Gras 101
Mardi Gras Dictionary and Terminology Who is The Lord of Misrule? What does the word “krewe” have to do with the poetry of John Milton? Why are go-cups popular throws? And what does a spyboy mean when he hollers “Humbah!” If these questions seem puzzling, it’s time to...
