At least two New Orleans area parading groups have emerged as contenders for an opening on Wednesday night before Mardi Gras, a spot left vacant when the Krewe of Nyx was cut from the schedule. The question is, who should claim the spot?
In May, the New Orleans City Council took the unprecedented step of removing the controversial Nyx parade from future Carnivals. The parade was accused of violating certain ordinances and, in general, for falling below parading standards.
The elimination of Nyx left a hole in Wednesday's parade schedule, with only the relatively small Druids parade to entertain crowds on the Uptown route.
Photos: Krewe of Alla closes out a late night of New Orleans parades
The Krewe of ALLA, which customarily parades on the first Friday of the official Mardi Gras season, wants to move into Nyx’s former spot, ALLA spokesman Adam Strickland said via text.
The venerable ALLA parade, which was founded in 1932, was named for the neighborhood where it began: Algiers, Louisiana. By changing nights, the ALLA leadership is seeking an opportunity to roll earlier. Last year, delays to earlier parades pushed the conclusion of the ALLA parade until well after 1 a.m., Strickland said. ALLA shares the first Friday evening with the Oshun and Cleopatra parades.
Meanwhile, the Krewe of Symphony, which currently parades in Jefferson Parish, also hopes to claim the spot vacated by Nyx’s ouster from the schedule.
Photos: The Krewe of Symphony rolls in Metairie during Mardi Gras 2024
According to Symphony attorney Darryl A. Gray, the krewe applied for an Orleans Parish parade permit in 2013 and believes that after 11 years, it is at the top of the waiting list of parades to be considered for any opening.
But that list remains a mystery.
Carnival authority Arthur Hardy said he believes there is a waiting list. “I’ve heard about it for years,” Hardy said. “But to my knowledge, no one has seen the list.”
If there is a list, it's unclear who maintains it. NOPD said the city is responsible for permitting and requests for permits are on file with the city's One Stop Shop permit department.
Nyx’s absence has produced a Carnival conundrum. Parades are typically grandfathered into the lineup year after year. So Nyx’s elimination offers a rare opportunity for a different krewe to get a chance.
But the city has capped the number of parades, as the city’s police and public service resources continue to be challenged by the demands of the busy 10-day parading season. During a text exchange, James Reiss III, the co-chairman of the Mayor's Mardi Gras Advisory Council, said that despite visiting law enforcement officers successfully being called in to relieve some of the pressure, “the city’s resources are stretched so thin I would be hard pressed to see a scenario that would allow the city to add more permitted parades to the already robust schedule in Orleans Parish.”
Reiss said that the Mayor’s Mardi Gras Advisory Council, a committee of krewe and city services leaders, meets on July 25 and will make its recommendation to the City Council thereafter.
This story was updated at 2:20 p.m. to reflect that the New Orleans Police Department responded to a request for information about parades that have applied for permits.
