Big Easy Blog: Feb. 28, 2006
By Pableaux Johnson, Citysearch Contributor
Invoking the Muses
This year's first Mardi Gras parades may have run on the short side, but the parades on Feb. 23 made up for it with a heapin' helpin' of Mardi Gras magic.
Even without a full complement of marching bands, last week's parades brought a lot of the pre-storm energy back to the Uptown parade route. Babylon brought a bit of tradition, Chaos heaped on the clever political satire and Muses, one of a few all-female krewes, just brought down the house. Locals usually come out for this last night before the long-weekend crowds take over the city, and though the numbers seemed a bit smaller than usual, the energy more than made up for it.
Though each krewe fosters its own personality, Muses manages to outdo themselves each year. They pull in a good number of marching bands, have amazingly inventive float designs (including a 20-foot stiletto heel decorated with sparkling fiber-optic lights) and fling out the most inventive throws of just about any krewe. The shoe theme is echoed through the most coveted throws, including bracelets made of tiny plastic pumps, blinking LED beads and full-sized hand-decorated ladies' footwear thrown to the lucky few.
The crowd, understandably, went wild. Out of pure luck, there were a few 15-minute delays in the action, allowing for just enough time to compare Carnival treasures and freshen up a drink. Kids and adults alike got into the high-energy spirit of Mardi Gras, screaming into the night and hoping to catch just a little bit of airborne treasure. Hipster marching groups, such as the Camel Toe Lady Steppers and the Bearded Oyster Marching Band added to the semi-naughty free-for-all.
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