SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans have been canceled because of the pandemic, but creative New Orleanians are hiring Mardi Gras artists to decorate their homes as floats. These house floats are being decorated with giant flowers, birds, gestures and jazz instruments, all to evoke the feel of New Orleans.
The Krewe of Red Beans, a Mardi Gras parade organization, has taken the houseboat idea further with the Hire A Mardi Gras Artist initiative. And so far, they ve raised a quarter of a million dollars to fund the decoration of 24 Mardi Gras house floats. And that money supports both Mardi Gras artists and elder culture bearers. Devin De Wulf is the founder of the Krewe of Red Beans, joins us from - where else? - New Orleans. Thanks so much for being with us.
Thousands of New Orleans residents turn their own homes into Mardi Gras floats after the city cancels this year s festival amid the COVID pandemic
Tens of thousands of people usually pack into downtown New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras in February and March each year
City officials have cancelled this year s festivities amid the COVID-19 pandemic
But many locals are refusing to let the pandemic dampen their party spirit, and are now turning their homes into parade floats to bring color and flair to the city
More than 9,000 people have joined the Krewe of House Floats Facebook page and are in the process of transforming their homes into eye-catching displays
By Janet McConnaughey, Associated Press
Jan 29, 2021
Photo by AP Photo/Janet McConnaughey
All around New Orleans, thousands of houses are being decorated as floats because the coronavirus pandemic has canceled parades.
What started off as a joke on Twitter has now become a movement spreading throughout neighborhoods in New Orleans. share this article
You just can’t keep a good city down, especially when Mardi Gras is coming. All around New Orleans, thousands of houses are being decorated as floats because the coronavirus outbreak canceled the elaborate parades mobbed by crowds during the Carnival season leading to Fat Tuesday.
Some smaller groups announced no-parade plans before the city did. Pandemic replacements include scavenger hunts for signature trinkets that normally would be thrown from floats or handed out from a streetcar, as well as outdoor art and drive-through or virtual parades. The prominent Krewe of Bacchus has an app where people can catch and trade