There are Mardi Gras floats and then there are Mardi Gras floats. Everyone has their favorite, but some floats drift into the iconic category. They are the most spectacular floats that stand out as they roll down the parade route. Here are five of our favorites.
Krewe of ZULU: Zulu King
The New Zulu King will be riding this year's float for the 2023 season. The theme will be Louis Armstrong, who was King Zulu in 1949. According to the Zulu website, the Witch Doctor was one of the event's original characters. In Africa, the witch doctor is known as a sorcerer, prophet, or shaman healer, someone who uses supernatural abilities to treat patients. "The Witch Doctor of Zulu asks the gods to protect and bless our King and the people. He also asks for favorable weather for our outside activities."
Krewe of Muses: High Heel Shoe
An all-female Mardi Gras krewe will parade in a New Orleans's uptown neighborhood at night. The Muses are Zeus' nine daughters according to Greek mythology. The Parade's Honorary Muse is carried by the High Heel Shoe. The public will learn the theme shoe for the parade each year in this way.
Krewe of Orpheus- Smokey Mary
A stunning, mystical train serves as one of Krewe Orpheus' longest and biggest floats. Lundi Gras features the renowned Train. Originally a six-section float, it gradually added two additional sections to become, by 2013, an eight-unit float that resembled a steam locomotive and was operated by Barry Daigle alone.
Krewe of Bacchus-Bacchagator
The Bacchagator, a longtime Bacchus staple, made its debut in the Krewe's 1986 procession. The three-piece, 105-foot float can hold 86 passengers. This float takes a long time to pass, making it prime time to scoop up on some swag. The brilliant green of the gator can be spotted far away.
Krewe of Endymion - "Pontchartrain Beach, Then and Now"
A parade that is always a crowd favorite, with themes that are revealed before the start of each Mardi Gras season; this year's theme is "Salutes the Poets." The longest float in Mardi Gras at over 300 feet long with over 250 riders and nine parts, "Pontchartrain Beach, Then and Now," is one among the parade's well-known floats. extends nearly the full length of the krewe's Mid-City den, where it is being decorated to bring back memories of the long-gone amusement park Pontchartrain Beach, which closed in 1983, and is located.
