Fools Rule the Day
9th Annual April Fools Day Parade | April 1, 2025 | Start: Royal St. & Franklin Ave., 7 p.m.
Two parades fueled by fools—Krewe Du Fool and Krewe of Fools—are rolling proof that there's a fool born every minute. In New Orleans, we celebrate them by inviting them to join a krewe.
One could argue that April Fools is a perpetual state of mind in New Orleans and that Mardi Gras season is one long April Fools' Day, especially considering the holiday's origins.
Prior to the creation of the Gregorian calendar in 1582, most European nations celebrated New Year's Day on March 25. Since the celebrations of the Feast of Fools took place over a week's time, they typically ended on April 1. Those who refused to, or forgot to, change to the new calendar system were ridiculed, and people who continued to celebrate the New Year on April 1 were called "April fools."
The Feast of Fools was a rollicking medieval festival filled with farces, pranks, and irreverent fun. One of its hallmark events was a playful twist on church rituals, where lower clergy staged a burlesque of the high mass. A young male chorister would be elected as a "mock bishop" or "pope" to parody high-ranking church officials. This celebration, particularly popular in France, was a spirited expression of role reversal, a reminder that divine favor could transcend social hierarchies. The first recorded mention of the Feast of Fools by the Church dates to 1160-1164 in Paris, though the roots of this topsy-turvy tradition stretch back centuries.
Fool Me Once
So are those parading on April Fool's Day the joyous fools who "forgot" that Mardi Gras ended? Or simply those "that care forgot?"
"Krewe Du Fool was conceived as a parade to celebrate our own inner or outer foolishness. Our theme has always been, 'Come One. Come All.' We are a very inclusive krewe, and we make it easy to become a member," said Krewe Du Fool parade founder Dnald Levy. It's so easy, in fact, that you can join the krewe up to the last minute if you pay the modest member fee by start time (visit krewedufool.com for details). The ninth annual April Fool's Day Parade Party starts at 4 p.m. on April 1, 2025, at Royal Street and Franklin Avenue in the Marigny, and the parade rolls at 7 p.m.
Levy also founded the New Orleans Mermaid Parade in 2023, held every Labor Day weekend on the Mississippi River front. This is another easy to join walking parade, with proceeds benefiting Audubon Aquarium's Education Department.
"I thought New Orleans should have a mermaid parade, since we are surrounded by water and people love to put on costumes and parade. I reached out to the Audubon Institute for permission to parade on the riverfront to the aquarium," he said. The rest, as they say, is "fishstory."
The parade marches along the riverfront from St. Philip to Audubon Aquarium, where they crown the new king and queen, who are chosen by costume contest. "Participants are comprised of Krewe Du Fool members and others interested in becoming Fishy Friends," explained Levy. "You can pay the parade fee that day. We get people from out of town visiting that end up joining and parading with our members."
Visit krewedufool.com to join and get started now on your merman, mermaid, sailor, underwater sea creature, and other marine-themed costumes. Last year's king, Orion Couling, earned his crown for his clever deep sea diver costume complete with a bubble machine.
Fool Me Twice
When discussing parading fools, it's easy to get confused between two groups with similar names. But the easiest way to distinguish them is when they march.
Krewe of Fools marches on Lundi Gras in support and in celebration of local street performers.
"Street performances are one of the things that people love when they visit New Orleans," said Warpo Cole, a founding member who was the first king in 2011 and reigned again during COVID. "We're not Disneyland, and street performers maintain the authenticity of places including the French Quarter."
Kings of Krewe of Fools are mentors and leaders in the small but tight knit New Orleans street performer community. One key component is to select someone who can be easily imitated in costume, as members are supposed to dress "as" him or her—yes, there have been female Krewe of Fools kings—apropos of timeless Fools traditions.
"We have never been a formal group," said Cole. "The first parade was just kind of a party. A dozen of us street performers just decided to dress like me and go be fools."
It is free to walk with Krewe of Fools on Lundi Gras, although the hat is passed at the pre-parade party to cover the cost of red beans and rice and some performances, often by the royals themselves, whether it's magic tricks, glass harmonica, or musical acts.
As for the parade's future goals and dreams, Cole admits that, like other krewes in town, they are focused on inspiring new members and younger leaders to keep the tradition alive. "I have bone spurs and back problems, and we have other members who need pedicabs to participate. We're not getting any younger. But when it ceases to be, that will be it."
But it's hard to imagine krewes of foolish, fun loving, inclusive folks ever lacking for members. After all, there's a fool born every minute—and in New Orleans, we celebrate them. Better yet, we invite them to join a krewe.
