by Ryan Sparks/Photos by Ryan Hodgson-Rigsbee

For residents of the riverside neighborhoods in Uptown, the noise of the port is a part of life. Not much can overpower the squealing wheels of the freight trains or the broad tones of a ship’s horns. Except the sounds of a parade, of course. On the Carnival nights when the superkrewes of Bacchus and Orpheus roll, the stretch of Tchoupitoulas between Napoleon Avenue and Bordeaux turns into a full-on battleground for the marching bands getting ready to march down St. Charles Ave.  

by Sarah Esenwein

Flamboyance, excess and grandeur hardly describe the scene of fabulousness in the most extreme sense that is preparing to saturate Bourbon St. on Fat Tuesday for the 49th Annual Bourbon St. Awards. The costume contest of the Gay Mardi Gras is one of the best spots to find elaborate costumes on Mardi Gras Day, and doesn't fall short in the people-watching category, either.

Fussy street cleaners and sirens signal the end of Thursday parades, but once the krewes stop rolling the party really gets in gear.  There’s no better way to kick off Mardi Gras madness than with some pre-weekend Carnival crooners and old New Orleans favorites.  

Elaborately woven and matched to specific floats, the splendor of modern Carnival costumes derive their power by distracting revelers with artistry. Tracing the historical development of costumes from the earliest Mardi Gras processions in comparison to its modern counterparts, however, we find Carnival costumery as an expression of delicate social balances.

After a Super Bowl break, Carnival returns to New Orleans in full plume Wednesday. The mysterious Krewe of Druids gets rolling first, keeping many of the details of their annual romp shrouded - except, of course for where to catch them. Wednesday night is rounded out by the all-female Krewe of Nyx, who are set to make their second ride down St. Charles.

The Super Bowl puts the Crescent City's Carnival revelry on hold for a week, but the interval provides us plenty of time to reflect on the first big dose of parades. Special Carnival Parade Contributor C. Krewes weighs in on the weekend's marches:

After several years of sending writers out to sample the Crescent City's many takes on King Cake, NoDef opted this year to let the people weigh in. On Jan. 24, hundreds of guests piled into the Ogden Museum of Southern Art's weekly After Hours event to help us choose the most outstanding oval in NoDef's first public King Cake Quest.

The Mayor says we're Super Bowl Ready, but New Orleans is also getting ready for Carnival crowds. With parades down St. Charles Ave. set to start rolling Friday, New Orleans resident Peter A. Corby brought his concerns about the much-maligned practice of turning neutral grounds into small city-states to newly-elected District B Councilwoman Latoya Cantrell. Click through to read his letter, and Cantrell's response.

Carnival kings and queens are mostly crowned in the confines of ballrooms, but the real royalty comes to town the night of the actual parade. In the final run-up to their showstopping parades, the boys of Bacchus and the Muses ladies announced their King and their Honorary Muse. Police Academy fans will fight on the front lines for beads from Actor G.W. Bailey, and everyone will be thrilled to see Ruby Bridges slinging shoes in Muses. 

While Zulu and their golden coconuts tend to steal the spotlight as the last and oldest African-American parade to round out the Carnival season, no one can forget about the first float out of the gate.  For more than 15 years, the all African-American Krewe of Oshun has rolled down the Uptown streets, kicking off the carnival season with their mix of vibrant floats and African inspired themes.