Mardi Gras will return next year, but Carnival season shorte
Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2005 9:56 am
wwltv.com
Mardi Gras will return next year, but Carnival season shortened
08:41 AM CST on Thursday, November 10, 2005
Jonathan Betz / WWL-TV Reporter
With Mardi Gras four months away, Mayor Nagin has already outlined major changes to the celebration: the party will be smaller, cut from eleven days to six.
And many krewes are left struggling to stay afloat in the meantime.
At the Zulu Social Club members are working to salvage this year's carnival season. With their headquarters flooded, one of the city's most famous krewes faces the possibility it might not parade this year.
“They call it the greatest free show on earth, but it's not really free to the people who have to pay to put it on,” said Naaman Stewart, Vice President of the Zulu Social Club.
It costs more than $1 million to throw just one extravagant parade, but many of Zulu's 600 members are now scattered around the country recovering from Hurricane Katrina.
“It's difficult to ask a guy to decide between repairing his home and throwing away beads and coconuts in the street,” Stewart said.
It's the reality now facing many of the krewes that organize the city's parades. Several smaller krewes are not expected to return while others have decided to merge.
Several of the larger, well known krewes have committed to parade this year and some are building bigger, more elaborate floats.
Bill Grace, Chairman of the Mayor’s Mardi Gras Committee, said fewer resources ultimately lead to the decision to shorten Carnival season.
“Unfortunately, there's neither the money nor the manpower for the city to have an eleven day Carnival season as we traditional do,” Grace said.
It's scaled back to save the city money on expenses like police officers.
Additionally, floats in the city will travel on the same parade route: the traditional St. Charles Avenue route.
At Mardi Gras World, where many of the floats were built and stored, the hurricane destroyed about 25 floats. Crews now work to make repairs.
“This is, frankly, our coming out party; we're going to do it, and we're going to do it right,” said Blaine Kern, owner of Mardi Gras World.
Military definitely will be a theme this year for Mardi Gras as some floats are expected to include things like black hawk helicopters and army tanks.
A “smaller but better Mardi Gras” is how the city will sell it to tourists, and some hotels eager to drum up business will not raise their rates.
“We think that's the right thing to do. We want to get people back here to showcase the city and the hotel,” said hotel operator Eddie Jacobs.
Not only to showcase the city, but its unshakeable history as well.
Mardi Gras will return next year, but Carnival season shortened
08:41 AM CST on Thursday, November 10, 2005
Jonathan Betz / WWL-TV Reporter
With Mardi Gras four months away, Mayor Nagin has already outlined major changes to the celebration: the party will be smaller, cut from eleven days to six.
And many krewes are left struggling to stay afloat in the meantime.
At the Zulu Social Club members are working to salvage this year's carnival season. With their headquarters flooded, one of the city's most famous krewes faces the possibility it might not parade this year.
“They call it the greatest free show on earth, but it's not really free to the people who have to pay to put it on,” said Naaman Stewart, Vice President of the Zulu Social Club.
It costs more than $1 million to throw just one extravagant parade, but many of Zulu's 600 members are now scattered around the country recovering from Hurricane Katrina.
“It's difficult to ask a guy to decide between repairing his home and throwing away beads and coconuts in the street,” Stewart said.
It's the reality now facing many of the krewes that organize the city's parades. Several smaller krewes are not expected to return while others have decided to merge.
Several of the larger, well known krewes have committed to parade this year and some are building bigger, more elaborate floats.
Bill Grace, Chairman of the Mayor’s Mardi Gras Committee, said fewer resources ultimately lead to the decision to shorten Carnival season.
“Unfortunately, there's neither the money nor the manpower for the city to have an eleven day Carnival season as we traditional do,” Grace said.
It's scaled back to save the city money on expenses like police officers.
Additionally, floats in the city will travel on the same parade route: the traditional St. Charles Avenue route.
At Mardi Gras World, where many of the floats were built and stored, the hurricane destroyed about 25 floats. Crews now work to make repairs.
“This is, frankly, our coming out party; we're going to do it, and we're going to do it right,” said Blaine Kern, owner of Mardi Gras World.
Military definitely will be a theme this year for Mardi Gras as some floats are expected to include things like black hawk helicopters and army tanks.
A “smaller but better Mardi Gras” is how the city will sell it to tourists, and some hotels eager to drum up business will not raise their rates.
“We think that's the right thing to do. We want to get people back here to showcase the city and the hotel,” said hotel operator Eddie Jacobs.
Not only to showcase the city, but its unshakeable history as well.
