Hail to the Kings
An unusual Carnival Day was set up to cap off the 2025
Mardi Gras season, with parades in New Orleans drastically changing times and
parades in Jefferson Parish stopping altogether to accommodate high winds and
inclement weather.
While Jefferson Parish's Mardi Gras Day favorites,
Elks Jefferson and Argus, will now roll on March 16, the perfect weather of
Monday evening lent itself to two excellent parades on the traditional Metairie
route. Centurions has long been a staple of a lively and family-friendly Lundi
Gras night and, in recent times, it has joined another new Metairie parade that
is quickly establishing itself in its own right.
The Krewe of Kings (the "Kings of Metry") may be one
of the New Orleans Metro's Mardi Gras' newest parades, but it makes for a
strong addition. The mentality behind Kings is taking the approachable feel of
a Jefferson Parish Parade and instilling in it the artistic sensibility of
classical 20th century sculpted Mardi Gras floats. The result is a procession
of beautifully sculpted float art that hearkens back to the earliest
processions of New Orleans' Mardi Gras—a very new parading organization giving
the feel of the best of old-school parading, right along Veterans Boulevard.
The krewe's 2025 parade theme, "Laissez Les Bon Temps
Roulez," is a celebration of various good times and celebrations, many of which
feature a unique Louisiana flare. Float themes included Sundays at the
Superdome, Lafreniere Park's Uncle Sam Jam, crawfish boils, tickets to the
theater, and more.
Kings began its Lundi Gras early with "Kings Fest" at
the Twist of Lime bar in Metairie with food, drinks, and local music acts.
Riders strongly represented the true "Metry" feeling of Jefferson Parish, but
there was also wide representation from across southern Louisiana. Colin Davis
and the Night People provided soundtrack for the pre-parade party, and a New
Orleans brass line escorted riders in their procession to load up at their
floats, a wide array compounding along with those of Centurions, creating a
venerable Lundi Gras armada.
Distinguished local riders included the Cabrini High
School cheerleaders and WTIX FM Radio. As the krewe continued its last-minute
opening and organizing of throws, more than a little discussion had turned to
the recent news of Jefferson Parish's weather delay of its major Mardi Gras Day
parade, the Krewe of Argus. With the delay of Mardi Gras day's biggest event in
the parish, the Lundi Gras parades were set to be some of the last celebrations
of the official season. With this came the insinuation of even larger crowds,
and Centurions and Kings were ready to help Argus hold down the fort. The
parades rolled out ready for anything, and finding no less than a stunning
success.
While the parade has not held any formal balls,
there's hope among the krewe that a Jefferson Parish-based ball could be doable
as early as next Mardi Gras season. And with Argus officially set to roll along
with the traditional St. Patrick's Day parade in less than two weeks, the good
times are rolling well after Carnival turns to Lent.
For more information on this year's parade and to keep
up with other events from the Kings of Metry, see the Krewe of Kings website.
For updates on the rescheduling of Argus and Elks Jefferson, see Jefferson
Parish Civic Alerts and the Krewe of Argus
on Facebook.
