NEW ORLEANS — As the sun rose over New Orleans on Tuesday, a crowd gathered in the historic Treme neighbourhood, their faces covered in skeletal masks with protruding antlers — the first revellers determined to celebrate Mardi Gras Day, like they always have.
Members of the Northside Skull and Bones Gang woke up the city with drums and chants, spreading a message of peace.
“Mardi Gras is all about having these moments. This city is like nowhere else in the country right now,” said Kendall Calyen, 41, marveling at the 200-year-old tradition unfolding before his eyes.
Thousands of revellers adorned in beads and outlandish costumes were filling the streets as New Orleans prepared to celebrate just ahead of severe storms. Thunderstorms and winds up to 100 km/h are expected throughout Tuesday, the National Weather Service said. In neighbouring Jefferson Parish, officials canceled parades.
The city’s two biggest parades — hosted by the social clubs Krewe of Zulu and Krewe of Rex — moved up their start times, shortened their routes and are going without marching bands, New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick told reporters Monday. The parades were required to wrap up by 11:30 a.m. Tuesday to avoid diminishing weather.
“Bottom line, they gonna still get the Zulu parade and all the excitement, it’s just a little earlier,” said Darren Mire, a Krewe of Zulu spokesperson. “We have to err on the side of caution, we have to protect the citizens of New Orleans and the visitors, and this was the best decision possible to get things done.”
Kirkpatrick warned parade-goers to not bring umbrellas, tents or “anything that could fly in the wind and cause mayhem.” Worsening weather Tuesday morning could still be a condition for calling off the city’s parades at the last minute, she added.
“I will cancel the parades at that point, no matter what time that is,” Kirkpatrick said. “I hold that trump card in which I will not hesitate to cancel — I won’t do it lightly, but I will do it.”
Two other parades which had been scheduled to roll through the city later on Tuesday with nearly 200 truck floats have been postponed to Sunday, Kirkpatrick said.
Other cities along the Gulf Coast, such as Mobile, Alabama, and Pensacola, Florida, hold their own Mardi Gras Day parades.
The culmination of the weekslong carnival season, Fat Tuesday festivities of feasting and drinking precede Ash Wednesday, traditionally the start of Lent, a period of fasting in Christian tradition in preparation for Easter Sunday. As a result, this year’s Mardi Gras Day falls unusually late in the year.
But the outsized culture of street parties, extravagant balls and spirited parades has evolved into a decidedly secular spectacle in the Big Easy.
The day kicks off with the North Side Skull and Bone Gang, a drum-playing group which for more than 200 years has gathered before sunrise to awake neighbours in the city’s historic Treme neighbourhood.
Across the city, renowned Black masking Indians, whose spectacular beaded and bejeweled costumes are topped with feathered head dresses, take to the streets to represent a central part of African American culture in the city dating back to the 1800s.
One of the most beloved parades, the Krewe of Zulu, typically features hundreds of marching members tossing trinkets to spectators such as beads and highly coveted decorated coconuts.
And the Krewe of Rex, a social club led by the honorary king of carnival season, bears the traditional colors of purple, green and gold.
The festivities are also marked by enhanced security presence across the city following a devastating Jan. 1 truck attack that killed 14 people. The Department of Homeland Security upgraded Mardi Gras to its highest risk rating, leading to an influx of law enforcement agents. A zigzagging layout of barriers parallels the main parade route to guard against fast-moving vehicles and armored trucks; SWAT teams and helicopters will be present.