Mardi Gras 2019, Part One: Tonight, We Roll

This is part one of at least a three part series about my experience riding in my first Mardi Gras parade. Two previous blogs about the lead up to riding can be found here and here. Since I know most everyone wants to hear about the experience of riding, I'll start in the middle with load-in and the parade itself. At least one of the posts will be a little sad; this is not that one. This is probably the funnest of the series because everyone loves a parade! Enjoy - from your resident Misfit!

If I had to pick one image that reflects the fun and fabulousness of the last week, this would be it. This is pre-parade, from our perch on the upper level of the tandem. We're mostly in costume, ready to roll out for the first time, together and having a blast.

Riding in a Mardi Gras parade is an odd thing to most people, you know, people who don't live in Louisiana. When you haven't experienced Mardi Gras in person, a parade is a very different thing. For most people, a parade is a quaint thing, something that happens maybe once a year on the Fourth of July or maybe St. Patrick's Day. It's fun, but no one spends a lot of time thinking about how it was organized or the people who ride in it. It happens, you come out and wave a flag, have a few laughs and then go home. You tuck the parade away until you hear or see the ad about it again the following year. It's part of your life, but not part of your life.

Mardi Gras is the exact opposite. I'm not here to tell you the history of Mardi Gras; there are dozens of books out there that are far better for that than me. Try Mardi Gras: Chronicles of the New Orleans Carnvial by Errol Laborde, Mardi Gras in New Orleans: An Illustrated History by Arthur Hardy, or New Orleans Carnival Krewes by Rosary O'Neil (who also happens to be a former professor of mine). Mardi Gras isn't one day; it's a season. It starts on Twelfth Night (Epiphany) in early January and runs through the day before Ash Wednesday, Mardi Gras Day. Between Twelfth Night and Mardi Gras Day, there are dozens of parades, walking groups, and celebrations. New Orleans isn't the only place were Mardi Gras/Carnival is celebrated, but it's probably one of the most well-known celebrations. Most people think of three things when they think of Mardi Gras in New Orleans: beads, boobs, and booze. It's so much more than any of those things, but you have to experience it to really see that.

Mardi Gras is part of everyone in the region's life whether they enjoy it or not. Parades disrupt traffic in a major way, so even if you don't like Mardi Gras, you have to deal with it. There were times when I lived in New Orleans, that I felt the rage of not being able to get anywhere during a parade. I would grumble and be annoyed. However, after riding down Tchoupitoulas to get in formation, I finally understand the magic of a parade. People were on the street just watching us line up. We're not allowed to throw anything at that point, but they wanted to see the floats and get into a parade mood. That's a thing: parade mood.

But let me step back. You can't be in formation without a little work. I rode in the parade with my two college roommates, Kelly and Heather, and Heather's mom, Mary Irene. All of us live out of town, so we missed out on a lot of the pre-parade events like our membership meeting where the theme was announced ("There's No Bigger Party than a Parade") and costume pickup. Thankfully, we have the greatest float lieutenant in the world, Caitlin, who picked up our costumes, bought our harnesses, and generally made everything work. She, along with the rest of the ladies of Float 11, are the best people I know. They're friendly, welcoming, and most of all, super fun. Heather picked up our costumes from Caitlin on the way from the airport to the hotel. Costuming is a big part of Mardi Gras. In addition to a standard costume across the krewe, we all wear masks and elaborate wigs and headdresses. Our float's theme was "Prince Charming" so our headdress included a knight's helmet, feathers, and LED lights. You know, like every prince wears.

Prior to the actual parade, we have to load the floats. A lot of this is done in advance, since we order throws (throws: beads, cups, plush, novelty items, purses, basically anything we throw from the float to the crowd) from a company that pre-loads them to the float for us. Load-in is all about organizing all of the throws and bringing all the other stuff onto the float, including our purses, snacks and food (which we bought too much of), and other throws we brought with us. We also needed to tarp everything since the forecast called for rain overnight.

So much pink. Having only been on the receiving end of parade throws, I never knew what went into getting all the stuff together. The fact that most of what I threw was pre-loaded on the float for me is amazing. In addition to the beads, I also bought some novelty bags which included everything from Nyx themed bath bombs (no joke) to parade themed items like light-up Poseidon tridents and pirate swords (all float titles started with a "P") and then super random things like post-it notes and tutus. Basically, if you can put a krewe brand on it and it can light up, I threw it to the crowd. I also bought cups, a Mardi Gras staple, and a plush set (themed stuffed animals). I brought some random things from home, mostly glitter sunglasses and cat ear headbands, and my purses. I figured if I ran out before the end of the parade, I'd spend the time taking video and pictures. I didn't run out, but I did stop throwing for a bit on St. Charles Avenue to ensure I had enough for the second half of the route. 

After float loading, we met up with some of our float sisters at a restaurant on Magazine Street. It was nice to meet a few more people before the day of the parade. They shared stories from past rides and tips for the next day. I can't express enough how much I love the ladies of Float 11. They helped make this a great experience, even if we only got to be around each other for a short time. 

Parade day is a long day. There's a pre-party before the parade at the Convention Center. Everyone shows up in full costume and then it's 3300+ women hanging out and dancing until it's time to load on the floats. I finally got to meet our float lieutenant and some of the women I'd only "met" in our Facebook group. They helped us glitter up our wigs and add more sparkle. We weren't the only newbies; we ended up sitting at a table of all new people. This was a perfect people watching experience for me; my writer brain has filed away a ton of little things for future reference and introvert me had to really work at not being overwhelmed. Being with my friends and the other newbies helped a lot. It's a whirlwind of colors and glitter and people having a great time. Note for next year: brush up on my dancing skills. Everyone knows all the dances and I only sort of do. My goal is to be able to keep up with this police officer. 

Floats were called to loading around 3:30 (our parade rolls at 6:30). We got back to the float, un-tarped everything, which dropped water down below (sorry, ladies) and then proceeded to continue organizing for the ride. I honestly thought I did a nice job of organizing the night before, but I was wrong. I spent the time moving things around, unwrapping more stuff (although I'm glad I kept a lot of stuff in plastic since it rained), and assembling glow necklaces. Glow necklaces are both the best and worst throw; best because I had a lot of them and everyone loves a glow necklace and worst because you either have to put them together or throw them as is and hope the person who catches it figures it out. I did a bit of both, and am still questioning whether I want them next year. Another tip for 2020: style my wig, especially if it's another long one. I had extra bobby pins so I was able to pin it up. It was hot and that helped a lot. Mary Irene said I looked very European once I pinned it up. I also discovered the joy of a fanny pack, something I never thought I'd say in my life. It was easier to access my phone from a fanny pack, especially a pink, glittery one.

We started moving into formation at some point, I don't know when because I wasn't really paying attention to time. As we started lining up on Tchoupitoulas, dark rain clouds started to cross our path. The day had been beautiful, sunny and clear. It rained heavily for about 30 minutes. We put on our ponchos and sat under tarps until it cleared. Thankfully, the rain held off for the rest of the parade and the crowds were huge; rain didn't keep anyone away. The parade in front of us started late, so we waited on Tchoupitoulas by the Winn-Dixie for a long time. The marching bands and dance groups were here too, so we got to hear them practice while we waited.

Once we started to roll, the whole thing became a blur of crowds on the street and throws. My first few throws were weak. I made contact, but my aim was a little off. Some of the throws are light weight so the wind was really in control. I tried to drop those down to people instead of throwing. That sort of worked. Beads are the easiest thing to throw, and I'm proud of my ability to get beads to the back rows of people. Being on the upper level helped with this a lot. I tried to throw things to little girls, people who were really yelling for things, and the occasional handsome dude out on the route. I received blown kisses and long distance high-fives in return. Being on float is a powerful thing.

I ended up making 11 purses to throw. Only my friend Brian "claimed" one of mine, so I threw the other 10 to complete strangers. I feel like this is the way it should be. I picked people based on signs I could see, like the lady who traveled 1802 miles for the parade or the one near Gallier Hall who drew a purse on her sign that looked like one of mine. The guy in front of her caught it, but gave it to her, so I'm proud of him. My second favorite purse, "You're the Cat's Meow," went to a little girl who's mom was carrying her and trying to catch the purse I tossed down. She did and I didn't hit her little girl. Win-win in my book. I hope they post them to the Nyx Purse Tracker, but if they don't, I hope they enjoy the purses and the love that went into each one. 

This is one of the crowd videos I was able to take during the parade. I think it's a great representation of what the crowds are like and the speed we're going. There are so many people and they all want something. It's overwhelming in a fun way. I tried hard to get stuff to kids, but everyone deserves something during a parade. I was surprised at how easy it was to make eye contact with someone so they were ready to catch whatever I was throwing. I thought that would be harder than it was. Maybe it was being on the upper level, maybe we're not as far away from people as I thought we'd be. I apologize to anyone I hit in the face, head, or shoulders. It wasn't intentional, I promise. 

Since I wear glasses, and can't seen without them, I wore my glasses under my mask. I had planned to glue the mask to my glasses, but the addition of light up eyebrows made this too difficult. My light up eyebrows didn't end up working, so I was able to make it work so I could lift up my glasses when needed. This helped a lot since I had to pause frequently to let my glasses de-fog because it was hot. When I did this, I kept my mask on, and took pictures or video since I didn't want to throw blind. Once we left Lee Circle heading to Canal Street (and the end of the route), I wore my glasses on top of my mask because it was more comfortable. Lesson for next year: glue the mask to old glasses. 

And then it was over. By a little after 11, we were at the end of the route, separating the garbage from all of our stuff, and getting off the float. We said goodbye to float members still around and walked the few blocks back to our hotel (thankfully, we stayed close to the end). Everything hurt a little bit, and continues to ache today. I have a weird bruise on my hip, probably from my harness. Yes, we wear harnesses on the float. Mine is pink. It kept me from falling off. Thank you, pink harness. Thankfully, everyone from the float is feeling the same aches I am. It's the price we pay for having so much fun.

Category is: retired showgirl at the end of the night.

Being part of Nyx is definitely one of the funnest things I've ever done in my life. Sharing this experience with Kelly, Heather, and Mary Irene was amazing. Getting to spend time with them, and not have to think about work and other life stuff was a gift. I miss them so much already and will probably need to start a countdown to next year ASAP. Being home was perfect and emotional; I'll share more about this in part two.

Next year, my purse goal is 15. If you want one, you better claim it and make sure I know where you're going to be on the route and you yell extra loud for me. If not, 15 strangers are getting a treat. May the odds be ever in your purse catching favor.

Hail Nyx!

Part Two will be out sometime this week. It's a little more maudlin, but whatever. It's my blog so I do what I want! Part Three will be up next weekend and will include a handy list of things any parade newbie needs to make their riding experience the best experience ever. 

Photos by Heather, Kelly, Mary Irene, a random person who took our float picture, and me. Videos by me.