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| New Orleans (Updated March 12, 2010) |
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 How can I experience New Orleans’ cultural celebrations and festivals this season? |
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 Visiting New Orleans, you can find something thrilling and unforgettable nearly every day. Whether it’s a great opportunity to sample our exceptional cuisine or a music festival you seek, New Orleans offers celebrations to suit everyone.
Following an extremely successful Mardi Gras, Spring time doesn’t slow down as New Orleans anticipates a jam-packed calendar with a few of the world’s most famous festivals. The annual French Quarter Festival (April 9-11), the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival presented by Shell (April 23-May 2) and the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience (May 25-29) all contribute to the essence and spirit of New Orleans. The inaugural Rock n’ Roll event hosted approximately 13,000 runners.
The city also boasts major sporting events including the Rock n’ Roll Mardi Gras Marathon and Half Marathon (Feb. 28), the annual Crescent City Classic (April 3) and the Ochsner Half Ironman (April 18) where athletes swim, bike and run their way through New Orleans for 70.3 miles.
Other festivals in 2010 include:
Zulu Lundi Gras Festival/Feb. 15
French Quarter Wine Festival/Feb. 26-April 15
Soul Fest/March 13-14
Earth Fest/March 20-21
Spring Fiesta/March 20-28
Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival/ March 24-28
New Orleans Roadfood Festival/March 26-28
Mid City Bayou Boogaloo/May 21-23
Greek Festival/May 28-30
New Orleans Vieux to Do/June 11-13
ESSENCE Music Festival/July 2-4
Tales of the Cocktail/July 21-25
COOLinary New Orleans/Aug. and Sept.
Satchmo SummerFest/Aug. 5-8
Whitney White Linen Night/Aug. 7
Louisiana Tailgate & BBQ Festival/Aug. 13-15
Dirty Linen Night/Aug. 14
New Orleans Red Dress Run/Aug. 14
Southern Decadence Festival/Sept. 3-6
Project 30-90/Sept. 11
Gretna Heritage Festival/Oct. 1-3
Art for Arts’ Sake/Oct. 2
New Orleans Film Festival/October
Voodoo Music Experience/October
Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival/Oct. 16-17
Halloween New Orleans/Oct. 28-Nov. 1
Louisiana Swamp Festival/Nov. 6-7
Words and Music Literary Festival/Nov. 18-22
New Orleans Po-boy Preservation Festival/Nov. 21
Christmas New Orleans Style/December
Tremé Creole Gumbo Festival and Holiday Bazaar/December
Traveling to New Orleans offers great values on hotels, restaurants and attractions. Coupons and more information on festivals are always available at www.neworleanscvb.com. |
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| I have not visited New Orleans in a few years. What can I expect? |
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Visitors to New Orleans can expect an overall unique and exciting experience. Whether you plan to stay for business or pleasure, New Orleans offers its guests unbeatable cuisine, music and culture that can only be found in this tremendously hospitable city.
And following the Saints Super Bowl victory on February 7, 2010, there is energy in the city that is unparalleled. And the celebration isn’t slowing down. New Orleans continued with momentum into an extremely successful Mardi Gras and anticipates that this excitement will persist through a stellar Spring festival line-up.
In 2008, 7.6 million people visited New Orleans for meetings, festivals, sporting events and getaways. And the best part about New Orleans, is it offers an experience for all ages. Families can enjoy the many attractions of the Audubon Institute, college students flock to participate in the Annual Red Dress Run and couples find New Orleans the perfect sanctuary for that romantic escape. With more than 1,000 restaurants to choose from and some of the finest hotels in the country, everyone can expect to enjoy a visit to the Crescent City. |
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| What is the media reporting about New Orleans as a visitor destination? |
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•The latest sports news in New Orleans is bringing together members of the “Who Dat” Nation. The New Orleans Saints are Super Bowl Champions after defeating the Indianapolis Colts at Super Bowl XLIV in Miami. The game was the most-watched show in U.S. TV history with 106.5 million viewers tuning in for the game.
•New Orleans was ranked number one in ten categories in Travel + Leisure Magazine’s 2009 “America’s Favorite Cities” survey, more than any of the other 30 popular travel destinations in the survey. Most notably, the city was named the best city in the country for nightlife, receiving a number one ranking in all three nightlife subcategories: Cocktail Hour, Singles Bar Scene, and Live Music, Concerts, and Bands.
•New Orleans was recently ranked number one in a poll conducted by the Society of American Travel Writers as one of the “Top 10” North American cities for live music. SATW is the world’s largest organization of professional travel journalists and photographers.
•New Orleans was honored as one of the top-five cities to market itself via Twitter, in New York-based Development Counsellors International’s “Tweet Elite” survey.
•New Orleans was voted number seven in the “Top 25 Cities and Towns with the Best American Values,” by Newsmax Magazine.
•New Orleans was selected as the “Best Domestic Business City” by Global Traveler Magazine and 31,457 of the publication’s surveyed travelers. |
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| What are my hotel choices? |
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| There are more than 34,934 hotel rooms available in the New Orleans metropolitan area, including small boutique treasures in the French Quarter, charming bed and breakfast properties, major downtown hotel towers and much more.
Thanks to city-wide hotel refurbishments and upgrades, New Orleans has one of the freshest hotel products of any major city. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on hotel upgrades and renovations in the metro New Orleans area. |
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| What are my restaurant choices? |
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| According to Tom Fitzmorris and www.nomenu.com, there are 1,069 restaurants open in New Orleans today, a new city record. Visit www.neworleanscvb.com for a full list of restaurants. |
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| What are my options for shopping? |
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| Our shops and boutiques––from the French Quarter to Magazine Street––offer the finest and most eclectic shopping options in the United States. Options include The Shops at Canal Place, Saks Fifth Avenue, The Riverwalk, Jax Brewery, as well as hundreds of boutiques, art galleries and antique stores throughout the city. Tax-free shopping celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2009, offering international visitors even more reasons to experience New Orleans. |
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| What are my options for attractions and museums? |
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The New Orleans Museum of Art is presenting Dreams Come True: Art of the Classic Fairy Tales from the Walt Disney Studio, a major exhibition featuring more than 600 original artworks that shaped legendary animated features including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. The exhibit began November 15, 2009, and ends March 14, 2010.
Dreams Come True: Art of the Classic Fairy Tales from the Walt Disney Studio also will include artwork from the upcoming Walt Disney Animation Studios musical, The Princess and The Frog, an animated comedy from the creators of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, set in New Orleans and is now available on DVD.
The city of New Orleans and the Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts is proud to add Broadway Theater to its list of spectacular performances. As part of “Broadway Across America—New Orleans,” the Mahalia Jackson Theater presented Cats and The Color Purple in 2009, and continued with Mamma Mia! in February. The line-up continues with Wicked (March) and Avenue Q (June 2010.)
While the arts scene is exploding and our galleries are among the finest in North America, there are also many cultural attractions, such as: plantation homes, riverboat cruises, tour options, Café Du Monde, Louisiana State Museums, New Orleans Historic Collection, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Audubon Zoo, Harrah’s Casino and its entertainment-filled Fulton Street Promenade, New Orleans Museum of Art, Bestoff Sculpture Garden, City Park, the Botanical Gardens, Fair Grounds Race Course and Slots, Contemporary Arts Center, Louisiana Children’s Museum, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, the New Orleans Ballet, Audubon Insectarium, Southern Food and Beverage Museum, Museum of the American Cocktail, The Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, Blane Kern’s Mardi Gras World, the National WWII Museum with its recent multi-million dollar expansion and much more. |
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| Will it be difficult to get flights to and from New Orleans? |
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There are plenty of flights into New Orleans! As of March 2010, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport offers 117 flights serving 34 cities.
The Louis Armstrong International Airport is undergoing a multi-million renovation. The airport terminal interior improvements include upgrading signs and lighting on Loop Road. Terminal interior improvements include upgrades to the flight information display system, restroom renovations and renovations to the terminal area.
Airlines operating out of the Armstrong International Airport include: Aeromexico, AirTran, American Airlines, Continental, Delta Air Lines, Jet Blue Airlines, Northwest, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and U.S. Airways.
Midwest Airlines announced new nonstop service between Kansas City and New Orleans beginning May 20, 2010. |
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| What type of events does New Orleans offer sports enthusiasts? |
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New Orleans’ line-up of sporting events and sports venues are sure to live up to every fan’s expectations. The city is home to several sports teams showcasing premier events in football, basketball, baseball and soccer including the Saints, Hornets, Zephyrs and the Jesters, New Orleans’ soccer team. The state of Louisiana, “known as the “Sportsman’s Paradise,” is also renowned for its fishing and hunting hot spots.
New Orleans also will host several major sporting events in the next few years, including:
• 2012 NCAA Men’s Final Four
• 2012 BCS National Championship
• 2013 NCAA Women’s Final Four
• 2013 Super Bowl
New Orleans also hosted the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, the University of Mississippi Golden Eagles and 30,228 fans for the Annual R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl on December 20, 2009. R+L Carriers has signed a contract to host the New Orleans Bowl through 2011.
The 76th Annual Allstate Sugar Bowl Football Classic was held in New Orleans on January 1, 2010. The University of Florida Gators and the University of Cincinnati Bearcats battled it out at the Louisiana Superdome in front of 65,207 spectators.
The Allstate Sugar Bowl has committed to New Orleans through the 2014 bowl season. The BCS championship, which alternates cities yearly, will call New Orleans home in 2012 with the city hosting both the Allstate Sugar Bowl and the BCS game in the same season that year.
As host to such events, the Louisiana Superdome is undergoing renovations and improvements. The majority of these slated upgrades will take place January 2011 - June 2011. They will include:
• New Sideline Seating
The sideline seats on the Plaza Level will be completely replaced, moving patrons closer to the action, with improved sightlines. The new seating units will include an addition of approximately 3,100 seats.
• Expanded Plaza Concourse
At key points on the east and west sides, the Dome’s Plaza Level concourse will be widened from 18 feet to 60 feet. This will provide better access, additional food service areas, restrooms and specialty stands. The new concourse will also have updated flooring, lighting, murals, color scheme and signage.
• New Premium Club Lounges
Located under the East and West sides of the new Plaza Level stands, these new premium clubs will feature private entry access directly from the parking garage, an upscale environment for private events, and high-end amenities such as: a fixed bar, lounge & table seating, television monitors and private restrooms.
• Additional 300 Level Suites
The Press Box will be relocated to the Terrace Level at the 50-yard line. New luxury suites will be added on the 300 level where the Press Box is currently located.
• Party Deck at Gate A (Endzone)
A private party deck will be added to the Endzone at Gate A on the Plaza Level.
Winning the Super Bowl bid for 2013, among a variety of other big-named sporting events, also gives valuable impetus to the development of the area between the Superdome and the central business corridor. Approximately $10.5 million will be spent to upgrade the atrium of the former Dominion Tower and New Orleans Centre into a sports entertainment venue now known as the Benson Tower, named for Saint’s owner Tom Benson and his family. This new Sports Development Complex will include the following:
• Outdoor Festival Plaza
This will be a 70,000 sq. ft. space located from the expansion of Gate C Bridge of the Superdome through the existing New Orleans Centre atrium and mall ending at the current, existing portechere of the Hyatt hotel. This space will be used for public and private special events. This facility will be managed by the Louisiana Sports and Exposition District (LSED)
• Dominion Tower
The Benson family has taken ownership of the Dominion Tower and will lease the facility to State Officials for office space. |
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| What are my options for taxis, airport shuttles, buses and streetcars? |
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There are thousands of taxis available on New Orleans’ streets and at major hotels. Taxi rates are $3.50 plus $2 per mile (.25 per one-eighth mile) thereafter. There is also an additional charge of $1.00 per passenger after the first passenger.
During peak visitor times (including Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest) taxi rates are $5 per person or the meter rate, whichever is greater. A fixed rate of $33 (one to two people) is charged from the airport to most areas of New Orleans. For parties of more than two, the fare is $14 per person.
RTA services are $1.25, including bus transportation and the streetcar. Thirty-three bus and streetcar lines are running daily. Bus service allows transportation throughout the city’s major corridor, extending from the Faubourg Marigny to Riverbend.
Airport Shuttle, Inc. is the official ground transportation for Armstrong International Airport, with service to and from New Orleans’ hotels and other designated locations. Fare is $20 per person one way and a discounted $38 per person round trip is now available. |
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| Does Amtrak service New Orleans? |
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| Yes, the City of New Orleans train is running to Memphis and Chicago, while the Crescent runs to Atlanta, Charlotte, Washington D.C., Philadelphia and New York. The Sunset Limited runs to Houston, San Antonio, El Paso, Tucson and Los Angeles. |
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| What are my options for cruises? |
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New Orleans is a city filled with festivals and cultural activities, leaving plenty of pre- and post-cruise options for cruisers docked at the Crescent City’s port.
The Norwegian Cruise Lines and Carnival Cruise Lines are currently sailing from New Orleans and both cruise lines continue to commit to the city through renovations to their ships and contract extensions.
Norwegian Cruise Lines announced in February that beginning in 2011, the Norwegian Spirit will sail year-round out of New Orleans. They will offer weekly 7-day Western Caribbean cruises from April 2011 through April 2012. Norwegian Cruise Lines also announced in April 2009 that the cruise line will commit one ship to New Orleans through 2014.
Carnival Cruise Lines replaced its cruise ship, the Fantasy, with a larger ship, the Triumph on November 10, 2009. The Triumph provides passengers with four, five and seven day cruises and will carry 50,000 more passengers a year. |
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| What's new at the Convention Center? |
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Following a well-received response to a $60 million makeover in 2006, the New Orleans Morial Convention Center has had $20 million in renovations underway in 2008 and in 2009, with plans for 11 million more dollars to be invested into the building in 2010. The center boasts an internet infrastructure of 10 gigabytes, making it one of most technologically advanced convention centers in the United States. Improvements include: extensive landscaping, new digital audio/video information systems including screens for each meeting room, furniture pods, i-Coves, a new sense of arrival at the main entrance and beautiful New Orleans artwork/photography throughout the building.
Since 2008, nearly $20 million of improvements have been completed or are underway.
2008: $7.3 million in improvements:
• Furniture pods strategically located in main lobby and meeting room levels
• Conversion of pay-telephone banks to I-Coves, comfortable internet lounges located throughout pre-function spaces
• Aesthetically enhanced “sense of arrival” to main entrance
• Visually stimulating way-finding, banner and signage program
• Extensive landscaping enhancements
• Installation of fixed and mobile concierge desks
• Establishment of Convention Center Ambassador Program
2009: $11.8 million in improvements completed or underway:
• Extensive renovation of both ballrooms
• Re-painting of building exterior
• Key Card access for meeting rooms
• Renovation of concession stands
• Expanding internet infrastructure to 10 gigabyte, far exceeding current industry standards
• New digital, large-screen, closed-circuit, video/audio information system throughout pre-function space
• Individually addressable, digital signs at each meeting room
• “Crown-Room”-type executive lounge, fitted with work-stations, lounge furniture, cable television and refreshments with controlled access |
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| What are the New Orleans CVB and the city of New Orleans doing to be environmentally friendly? |
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Call it green, call it sustainability, but being environmentally savvy is not a trend. It's an important business practice that's here to stay. That’s why New Orleans is one of many destinations working to become more environmentally friendly.
So far, the New Orleans Morial Convention Center and its partner ARAMARK have many green programs underway. A few practices the New Orleans Morial Convention Center has adopted into their daily practices are water conservation, energy conservation, waste reduction and clean air practices.
Second Line Stages, the first green independent stages in the United States, has opened its doors in the Lower Garden District of New Orleans. The $32 million project is currently hosting a Warner Brothers film as its tenant. The stages of the studio were built to the exact standards of the motion picture industry and to comply with the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Silver Certification.
Even New Orleans Mardi Gras celebration has gone green. Kern Studios, the largest producer of Carnival floats, began reducing the impact on the environment by using biodiesel in the tractors pulling floats along the parade routes in 2008 and also reuses several of their floats for multiple Mardi Gras parades. The Krewe of Rex is using biodegradable string on their special Mardi Gras beads, preventing the beads from hanging in trees for extended periods of time.
Adding to a list of environmentally friendly practices, New Orleans is incorporating green practices into its famous festivals. On September 5, 2009, Project 30-90, the city’s first all green music festival, featured several of local musicians to support the initiative.
In addition, Hotard, one of the area’s leading providers of motorcoach transportation, switched to a greener fleet. The company has begun to introduce new motorcoach models that cut particulate matter, black smoke, by 90 percent. The company is investigating additional ways that it can go green, including the use of bio-diesel fuel.
Airport Shuttle New Orleans, the official airport transportation provider for the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, is going green with all-new clean burning propane hybrid vehicles. Propane is now being used in all of Airport Shuttle’s 13 new vehicles, thanks to a new technology that enabled the conversion of existing engines to a propane hybrid.
Many hotels are implementing green practices as well. Other tips for travelers are available at www.neworleanscvb.com. |
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| What major convention groups has New Orleans recently hosted? |
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The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons brought nearly 30,000 attendees from 100 countries to their annual meeting March 9-13. On March 9, more than 500 volunteers and children, with and without disabilities, gathered for a Family Fitness & Fun Park Build to work together to build a playground at Jefferson Playground. The last time AAOS met in New Orleans was in 2003. The 2010 meeting is the sixth time the Academy has met in New Orleans and is set to generate more than $35 million in economic impact.
The New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau, in partnership with the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, have secured the conventions of Club Managers Association of America, Kiwanis International, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Nobles Mystic Shrine, American Society of Plastic Surgeons and Benevolent & Protective Order of ELKS, which will bring 66,000 attendees and $77.6 million to the local economy between 2012 and 2014. |
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| What groups are holding meetings in New Orleans in 2009? |
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Event/Date
National Cotton Council of America/Jan. 4-7
Association of American Law Schools/Jan. 6-10
True Value Company/Jan. 6-8
The Special Event/Jan. 12-15
International Studies Association/Feb. 17-20
Keller Williams Realty International/Feb. 20-24
American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology/ Feb.26-March 2
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons/March 9-13
Dunkin’ Brands, Inc./March 22-24
Ace Hardware Corporation/March 26-28
American Planning Association/April 10-13
American Association of Petroleum Geologists/April 11-14
Independent Champagne & Sparkling Wine Invitational/April 16-18
Corenet Global/April 18-20
Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (PES T&D)/April 20-22
American Association of Collegiate Registrars & Admissions Officers/April 21-24
Digestive Disease Week/May 2-5
American Thoracic Society/May 14-19
American Psychiatric Association/May 22-26
National Apartment Association/June 24-26
Healthcare Convention & Exhibitors Association/June26-29
National Education Association USA/July 1-3
Academy of General Dentistry/July 1-6
Lutheran Church Missouri Synod/July 17-21
American Contract Bridge League/July 22-Aug. 1
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc./July 29-Aug. 4
International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association/Aug. 9-13
Water Environment Federation/Oct. 2-6
National Funeral Directors Association/Oct. 10-13
Cable Connection Fall (CTAM: Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing and Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers)/Oct. 17-21
Medical Group Management Association/Oct. 24-27
National Association of Realtors/Nov. 5-8
Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (Annual National Computing Conference)/Nov.13-19
American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists/Nov. 14-18
Gerontological Society of America/Nov. 19-23
Diversified Business Communications/International Workboat Show/Dec. 1-3
International Association for Exhibition & Events/Dec. 7-9
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| Is New Orleans a safe place for visitors? |
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Yes. No other city in the world manages special events, crowd control and visitor safety as well as New Orleans.
Visitors to our city should expect:
oVisible police presence in tourist and convention areas by uniformed officers on foot, in patrol cars and on horseback
oUndercover police presence in tourist and convention areas by plain-clothed officers
oStrategically placed “sky towers” for major events
oProfessional, courteous police officers in tourist and convention areas are ready to assist you
oMore officers being added to the NOPD thanks to a police recruiting campaign to attract the best and brightest talent
The city welcomes millions of visitors per year, and is world renowned for the safe and successful management of major tourism events such as the Jazz and Heritage Festival (375,000 people), Mardi Gras (1 million+ people), Essence Festival, professional and college football championship games, conferences and business events ranging from a 10-person corporate board meeting to large association city-wide conventions with tens of thousands of attendees from around the world.
The New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) works closely with the business community, political leaders, New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) and District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro to make New Orleans a safe, quality place to live, work and visit.
In addition, the New Orleans CVB informs the top leadership of the NOPD of the complete convention schedule so they may provide added protection in visitor areas.
As with any destination, we recommend that vacationers and convention attendees practice common sense and do not wander into deserted, non-tourist areas of the city.
New Orleans remains a national treasure and we want everyone who visits it to have a safe and enjoyable time. |
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| How has the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau prepared for hurricane season? |
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The New Orleans CVB Tourism Crisis Management Plan, along with diligent and thorough preparation with an emphasis on safety, will assist visitors in responding appropriately to emergencies. The City of New Orleans and State of Louisiana have implemented a unified emergency communications plan to ensure the timely flow of information across the region in emergency situations. A comprehensive and effective city-wide emergency communications plan for the Greater New Orleans tourism industry has been developed for visitors.
According to the Army Corps of Engineers, all needed repairs to levees and floodwalls were completed prior to hurricane season 2006. The Corps is driving to provide 100-year protection for hurricane season 2011. Other system improvements include safe houses in Jefferson Parish; strengthened transitions and armored floodwalls; repair to non-federal pump stations; and storm proofing of existing interior drainage pump stations in Jefferson and Orleans Parishes.
Inner Harbor Navigation Canal levees and floodwalls were improved and strengthened; Gulf Intracoastal Waterway earthen levees were raised; grass was planted along the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet to prevent erosion; and pumps were placed at three outfall canals for a total pumping capacity of about 16,000 cubic feet per second. The Corps and the state of Louisiana are also studying higher levels of protection as well as ecosystem restoration. |
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| What are my options should I need medical care while visiting? |
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Hospitals and urgent care facilities include:
•East Jefferson After Hours Metairie, 2215 Veterans Boulevard, Metairie, Louisiana 70002, Phone: 504-838-3524, www.ejafterhours.com
•East Jefferson After Hours Kenner, 708 West Esplanade, Kenner, Louisiana 70065, 504-461-9660, www.ejafterhours.com
•Touro Infirmary, 1404 Foucher St., 504-897-7011, www.touro.com
•Tulane University Hospital and Clinic, 1415 Tulane Ave., 504-988-5800, www.tuhc.com
•Ochsner Clinic Foundation and Hospital, 1514 Jefferson Highway, 800-874-8984, www.ochsner.org/frontpage/default.htm
•Children’s Hospital, 200 Henry Clay Ave., 504-899-9511, www.chnola.org
•Ochsner Baptist Medical Center, 2700 Napoleon Ave., 866-624-7637, www.ochsner.org/locations/baptist/
•New Orleans Urgent Care facility, 900 Magazine Street, 504-552-433 www.neworleansurgentcare.com/services.asp |
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| What options are available to volunteer to help a neighborhood that was affected by Hurricane Katrina? |
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| From convention visitors to leisure travelers, church groups to high school and college students, people have shown incredible generosity in giving of their time and talent, and a great deal of elbow grease, helping the city of New Orleans in its recovery and restoration. The office of Lt.Governor has formed an official organization that matches volunteer opportunities with volunteers, called Volunteer Louisiana. Visit www.volunteerlouisiana.gov to get started. |
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| Mardi Gras |
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| Is Mardi Gras Elitist? |
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| Not any more. While wealthy white males once controlled Carnival (and most of America), Mardi Gras is one of the nation's most diverse institutions and it offers a rich cultural experience to participants and spectators. |
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| What is the story of the umbrella? |
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| The Story of the Umbrella dates back to around 1830, when the black community sang slow spirituals behind a funeral. After the burial the umbrellas were brought out and twirled to lively music, signaling that the soul of the deceased was now in heaven and happiness prevailed. We now use umbrellas for all occasions, from weddings to sporting events. Source: Everything N'Awlins, 2003 |
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| Is Mardi Gras Really Connected to Religion? |
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| Yes. The Catholic Church licensed Carnival, which means "farewell to flesh," as a period of feasting before the fasting of Lent. The Church also established the set date for the start of the Carnival season -- January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany -- and the fluctuating date of Mardi Gras. |
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| How Do I Get to be King? |
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| The method of selecting Mardi Gras royalty varies from krewe to krewe, but most choose a king among krewe members or celebrities. The King of Carnival is chosen by the inner circle of the School of Design, the sponsoring organization for the Rex parade. Some krewes hold random drawings to pick their king or queen. Most clubs charge the selected monarch a fee to reign. In several of the newer krewes, elaborate ceremonies called "coronation balls" are staged to crown their royalty. |
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| How is the Success of Mardi Gras measured? |
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| Before the age of recycling, the success of Mardi Gras in Orleans Parish was sometimes jokingly measured by the amount of trash collected by the New Orleans Sanitation Department. However, the success of Mardi Gras is truly measured by the estimated number of attendees to parades, which in 2009 was approximately one million. |
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| Why Does the Date of Mardi Gras Change? |
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| Because it's connected to the moveable date of Easter, which can fall on any Sunday from March 23 to April 25. Mardi Gras is scheduled 47 days preceding Easter and can occur on any Tuesday from February 3 through March 9. |
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| When Was the First Mardi Gras Parade Held in New Orleans? |
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| On February 24, 1857. The Mistick Krewe of Comus, Carnival's first secret society, coined the word "krewe" and was the first to choose a mythological namesake, to present a themed parade with floats, and to follow it with a tableaux ball. |
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| Is it True Mobile Celebrated Mardi Gras before New Orleans? |
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| Yes and no. New Orleans' first Carnival krewe was founded in 1857 by former members of Mobile's Cowbellian de Rakin Society, which was founded in 1830. However, Mobile's parades were held on New Year's Eve until 1866, when they switched to Fat Tuesday. |
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| Krewes Are Named after What? |
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| The colorful worlds of Greek, Roman and Egyptian mythology are the sources of nearly half of the parading krewe names. Other clubs are named after the neighborhoods through which they travel, while some are named after historical figures or places. |
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| What Do the Carnival Colors Mean? |
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| Purple represents justice, green stands for faith and gold signifies power. Rex, the King of Carnival, selected them in 1872 for his first parade. While they were probably chosen simply because they looked good together, Rex assigned a meaning to each in his 1892 parade, entitled "Symbolism of Colors." |
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| What Are Masquerade Balls and Why Can't I Go? |
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| Most Carnival balls are private formal affairs (tuxedos and long gowns required) and are by invitation only. Bals Masque (masked balls) in New Orleans predate the first parade by more than a century. More than 125 private balls are presented each season in the city's Convention Center and in the grand ballrooms of major hotels. Mock royalty reigns over each ball, where a king, queen, maids and dukes are presented. In the older society krewes, the court is made up of debutantes. Some clubs stage "tableaux" (theatrical scenes) enacted by krewe members, and favors are given to special guests. Krewes such as Bacchus, Orpheus, Endymion and Zulu have replaced the traditional ball with extravaganzas presented at the Louisiana Superdome and at the Morial Convention Center. Tickets are sold to these events. |
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| What's the Theme for this Year? |
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| There is no general theme for Mardi Gras, but each individual parade depicts a specific subject. The floats then reflect the krewe's theme for that year. Maskers are costumed in a manner that illustrates the overall parade theme and the individual float title. Among the more popular subjects have been history, children's stories, legends, geography, famous people, entertainment, mythology and literature. |
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| Do I Have to Mask? |
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| No, but you should, at least on Fat Tuesday, the only day when street masking is legal (from dawn to dusk). Masking, which can be elaborate or makeshift, dates from Roman carnivals when assuming false identities was a common practice. By law, float riders must be masked at all times. |
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| Is Secrecy Still a Part of Carnival? |
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| Yes. While many Carnival clubs are fairly accessible (some even have websites), most maintain the tradition of secrecy that has been a part of Mardi Gras since its earliest days. A unique custom in the older organizations is that the king's name is never made public. An exception is Rex, whose name is revealed the day before his parade. And while many in the media know his identity days in advance, the embargo on publishing it has never been violated. |
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| What about Celebrities? |
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| The Krewe of Bacchus began the tradition of selecting celebrity kings with its first parade in 1969, when Danny Kaye reigned. Endymion and Orpheus also annually invite guest celebrities to ride in their parades. Some of the more popular stars to have appeared are Bob Hope, Dolly Parton, Wayne Newton, John Goodman, Jackie Gleason, Britney Spears, Kirk Douglas, Harry Connick Jr., Nicholas Cage and the Beach Boys. In most cases visiting stars are not paid to ride, although the krewes do cover their expenses. |
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| Has Mardi Gras Ever Been Canceled? |
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| Yes, but not often. Since 1857, only 13 Fat Tuesdays have been affected. Most cancellations were caused by wars: Civil, WWI, WWII and Korean. |
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| Is Mardi Gras Really X-rated? |
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| While Bourbon Street has an established reputation for wild antics, Mardi Gras is generally a safe, G-rated event enjoyed by families. The festivities provide an opportunity for adults to act like kids again. |
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| What Makes Mardi Gras Parades Different? |
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| Throws! Baubles tossed from floats turn New Orleans parades into crowd participation events. It is not uncommon for a float rider to spend $500 or more on beads, cups and doubloons, which are freely thrown to parade viewers. |
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| Is Mardi Gras Staged for Visitors? |
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| While the "greatest free show on earth" draws nearly one million visitors, Mardi Gras is a party the city throws for itself. It has developed into a world-class tourist attraction, yet the City of New Orleans doesn't spend a cent promoting it. |
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| What Companies Sponsor Mardi Gras? |
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| They don't. Mardi Gras is the only entertainment venue in the world where the stars foot the bill and the audience gets a free ride. By tradition and by law, Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans may not be corporately sponsored. Carnival clubs are chartered as nonprofit organizations. They are financed by dues, by the sale of krewe-emblemed merchandise to the members and by fundraising projects such as bingos. |
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| Why Can't I Buy an Official Mardi Gras Poster? |
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| There is no such thing. Unlike the Olympics or the SuperBowl, there is no governing authority to license products. Mardi Gras is like Christmas and Halloween -- it belongs to everyone. Beware of any item that bears the title "official." The claim (and the product?) are bogus. Free enterprise reigns supreme over Mardi Gras, making it a virtual paradise for entrepreneurs who compete for counter space and the attention of the public. |
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| Who Coordinates Mardi Gras? |
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| No one. While city governments issue parade permits, there is no overall authority that coordinates the five dozen parades held in the metro area during the 12 days that precede Fat Tuesday. Each parading organization is completely autonomous. |
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