by Katherine McGuire

New Orleans continues its hot-bunny boy filled romp of an Easter Parade in the French Quarter with this year’s 14th Annual Gay Easter Parade, which hops on Sunday, March 31, at 4:30 pm.

Following up her plea to police on behalf of blockaded Uptown paradegoers, City Councilwoman LaToya Cantrell will be holding a roundtable discussion on Saturday, March 30. The issue at hand is the intrusion of ladders and tents, as well as the general partitioning of neutral grounds, which impedes the rights of all citizens to watch the floats go by from an advantageous angle.

It’s time to get hopping in costumes of extreme creation, from fishnets and tutus to bondage bunny-rotica in one of the wildest events of the spring season. This Friday, March 29, the classic ‘pub crawl’ becomes a chaotic caper when the annual Bunarchy Bar Hop through the Marigny and French Quarter, benefiting the LA-SPCA.

The Italian American marchers aren't the only ones hitting the streets this weekend. From Audbon Park to Bayou St. John, a pair of parades are set to roll out the good times. In the meantime, marchers will also be helping to say "f*ck cancer," and keep it real.

by Sarah Esenwein

The Mystic Krewe of Nyx made their second ride down St. Charles last night, retaking their place as New Orleans’ newest addition to the Carnival season.  The all-female krewe assembled first at Generations Hall for food, fun, drink, and a float-member skit contest.  Then came the culmination of 11 months of planning by Krewe Captain Julie Lea and her Board of Directors: a dazzling parade down St. Charles, and party into the night.

Last night's showers were no obstacle for parade goers, and tonight we'll have clear skies. It shouldn't get below 60 degrees, so bring a sweater to the route, and you're set. Stay with NoDef for weather forecasts throughout Carnival, and good luck catching a Muses shoe!

With Carnival parades set to start marching on St. Charles again, many of the neutral grounds are soon to be fully fortified for prime bead catching. While parade route ladders and other provisions are all in good fun, a debate has been raging among the populace about the tendency of some revelers to engage in a bunker mentality. City Councilwoman Latoya Cantrell responded to the call for ramped-up enforcement of already existing parade route rules yesterday with a letter to New Orleans police chief Ronal Serpas.

Next weekend the Krewe Of Cleopatra will march down the traditional Uptown-St. Charles parade route after 39 years of parading on the West Bank. The first all ladies parade this season, Cleopatra is also the only all female, night time parade that will ride on a weekend.

This Friday in the CBD, sightings of tight python pants and voluptuous bleached blond hair might make you wonder if Motely Crue has come to town, but in fact it’s the influence of another kind of group— one harnessing powers both ordinary and extraordinary. From 8 pm to Midnight, the Sugar Mill (1020 Convention Center Blvd.) welcomes back the 610 Stompers and a thousand of their friends for their annual parade prelude, the Sweet 610 Headbanger’s Ball.

The countdown to Christmas has begun, and New Orleanians can’t let a season pass without christening it through the ancient art of parading. Tomorrow’s Krewe of Jingle kicks off the merriest month of the year at 1pm, and the fifth annual event features a march through the CBD with ten floats, a new route, a mobile brass band on pedicabs, stilt walkers, and of course, marching bands.