New Orleans City Council member threatens to pull Krewe of Nyx permit for Mardi Gras 2025

New Orleans City Council member JP Morrell said Wednesday he will ask the council to rescind the parade permit of the Mystic Krewe of Nyx before next year's Carnival season, putting the controversial krewe in jeopardy of losing its spot on the Wednesday before Mardi Gras.

Morrell, acting as chair of the new Carnival Legislative Advisory Committee, cited two separate issues that could cost the much diminished krewe its permit.

First, he said, Nyx paraded in February with three fewer bands than required by city ordinance based on the size of its parade. The all-female krewe also advertised for members on social media and on throws riders were told to toss during the parade.

“It is not our job as taxpaying citizens to subsidize your route until you can make enough money to meet your obligations,” Morrell said. “The ordinance is clear that in situations like this, it is in the council's purview and authority to remove said krewes,” he continued, “and that is absolutely my intent.”

The meeting at City Hall was the first for the 8-member committee, established last year to review the 2024 season and recommend any needed changes to city ordinances.

Once among the largest parading organizations with more than 3,400 members, the Krewe of Nyx has dwindled in recent years to just a few hundred. Mass resignations began in the wake of the George Floyd murder in 2020, when founder Julie Lea posted the slogan “All Lives Matter” on a Nyx social media account.

To many members of the krewe, the message seemed to be dismissive of the Black Lives Matter movement that was sweeping the country. Lawsuits about float contract breaches, transphobia allegations and membership fee scandals also followed.

On Wednesday, Nyx spokesperson Doug Sunseri accused Morrell of “singling out the Krewe of Nyx based on perceived differences in the prior expressions of political views.”

He added: “Such sets a dangerous precedent of requiring krewes to have a monolithic political orientation that requires political obedience to a politician or lose your parade license.”

During the meeting, Morrell conceded that Nyx was not the only parade that failed to present the prescribed number of marching bands during this year's Carnival season. King Arthur, Cleopatra, and Oshun also came up short, but not as egregiously as Nyx, he said.

He also displayed a pair of Nyx throws that seemed to be nothing more than a printed card that read “Join the Sisterhood” with a QR code that presumably led to a membership application. City ordinances specifically prohibit advertising for members.

Council member Lesli Harris, who also serves on the committee, suggested that the meeting could serve as a warning to Nyx to stop advertising for members. But Morrell disagreed, arguing that all of the krewes were aware that the City Council intended to more strictly enforce the rules this year.

Morrell also posited that if Nyx were no longer allowed to parade, the Wednesday before Mardi Gras could possibly go dark, allowing police and first responders a day off in the busiest part of the parading schedule. Nyx shares that night with the Mystic Krewe of Druids, and crowds for both parades were conspicuously thin according to many accounts. Morrell said the committee would “certainly meet with the leadership of Druids,” though he didn’t reveal what the fate of that parade may be.

The future of Nyx was not the only item on the agenda. The committee considered the need for serious crackdowns on confetti cannons, toilet tents (possibly all tents), double and triple parking on the lake-bound side of Canal Street during the Endymion parade, and drunken horse riders. Members also discussed the need for more barricades along the Treme end of the Zulu parade route.

Annette Sisco contributed to this story.