Few things in life deserve the title “Rock Star for a Day”. Being on Krewe of Endymion is one of those things.

Once a year, New Orleans, Lousiana hosts the biggest US Mardi Gras Party. This annual celebration triples the population of N’awlins from 500,000 people to 1,500,000 people. Mardi Gras or “Carnival”, as it is called, is one giant outdoor blowout. New Orleans measures the success of Mardi Gras each year by the tonnage of trash that is produced.

An essential part of the MG experience are the parades. These exhibitions range in size from a single flat panel truck with a dixieland band, to a super-parade with more than a thousand riders or Krewe. Endymion was founded in 1974 and is one of the two parades at Mardi Gras that has earned the category of Super Parade. Endymion has over 2400 Krewe. A quarter of a million people line up the along the route of Endymion, some families setting up their annual ‘spot’ 18 hours before the parade. Endymion draws the largest crowd at Mardi Gras.

Now a little about the Rock Star part

Perspective from the crowd

Watching a parade at Mardi Gras, the crowd chills along the route and watches as marching bands, baton twirlers, mounted police and other parade participants go by. When a float goes by everything changes. Suddenly the mob goes wild. People are screaming at the top of their lungs and waving their arms madly. All the while trying to entice beads from the riders on the float. They are jumping up and down and trying to make eye contact with the riders to collect all important beads, doubloons, cups, frisbees, teddy bears and footballs. After the float has passed, the revelers go back to chillin with their friends. Patiently waiting for the next chance for treasure….

Perspective from the float

If you are on Krewe of Endymion, the whole perspective is from the float. You stand in a four foot by four foot cubicle. Your beads stacked up around you to your waist, leaving a small foxhole you can barely stand in, let alone move. There are thousands of people constantly in your field of view as your behemoth ride meanders through the streets of New Orleans. The crowd is ever changing. they are whipped into a frenzy, yelling at the top of their lungs, waving ther arms wildly and trying to get you to throw beads. Even though there may be a thousand people in front of you at any one time, you can pick anybody from the crowd and make eye contact with them. You can easily pick any one person from the crowd and reward them with beads or other throws

see part two of the article