Sting and Flo Rida will top the lineup at the Endymion Extravaganza, the Carnival krewe's enormous post-parade concert and party on Feb. 10, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
Sting, the winner of 17 Grammy awards, broke into international stardom in the 1980s with the band The Police, and went on to a successful solo career.
Flo Rida has been a chart-topping rapper since the early 2000s. He is reprising his 2019 appearance with Endymion, when he rode as parade grand marshal.
The two headliners will be joined by local acts The Mixed Nuts, Groovy 7, and The Wiseguys.
Rapper Flo Rida reigns as grand marshal as Endymion rolls in New Orleans Saturday, March 2, 2019, to the theme, ‘Wonder Tales of Science Fiction.’ Queen Endymion Alexandra Madeline Kenny reigned over 3,100 riders on 37 floats for the 53rd annual parade. Endymion, a figure from Greek mythology, was a mortal granted eternal youth by Zeus, at the request of the Moon Goddess who loved him for his beauty.
Musicians used to customarily ride in the hours-long parade, before performing afterwards, but that is no longer typically the case. It’s unclear if either star will ride in Endymion 2024.
The Endymion parade, which is one of Carnival’s longest and most spectacular processions, has traditionally rolled directly into the Superdome, where the Extravaganza then commences. But recent renovations to the Dome have displaced the Extravaganza to the Morial Convention Center.
The theme of the 2024 Endymion Parade is “Silent’s Are Golden."
Endymion rolls to the theme 'Endymion Salutes the Poets,' during its 57th annual parade Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023, in New Orleans. Katelynn Marie Russell reigned as queen and Barry Bairnsfather as king over 3,200 riders on 36 floats. Signature floats included the E-TV float, the 300-foot long Pontchartrain Beach float carrying about 250 riders and the Club Endymion float. The parade featured 32 bands and marching units from seven states and five colleges and universities. (Staff photo by Scott Threlkeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
The 2024 Endymion parade will be the first since the founder, Ed Muniz, died at age 83 in May. The self-made music radio business mogul and Jefferson Parish politician created Endymion in the 1960s as an alternative to the old-line krewes, where membership was sometimes confined to the social elite. In time, the neighborhood procession became a phenomenon.
Longtime krewe president Dan Kelly has replaced Muniz as captain.
Like the Krewe of Bacchus, Endymion favors national pop celebrities, particularly musical talent, over hometown royalty. Sting and Flo Rida join the ranks of Doc Severinsen, who paraded and performed in 1974, Alice Cooper (1976), Lou Rawls (1982), Dolly Parton (1988), Stephen Stills (1994), Britney Spears (2000), Kid Rock (2009), Diana Ross (2022) and, last year, Darius Rucker.
Over the years, actors have occasionally been mixed in among the musicians as celebrity grand marshals. Suzanne Somers (1981), John Goodman (1990), Dan Akroyde (2006), and Kevin Costner (2008), have all ridden on Endymion floats.
The 2024 New Orleans Carnival season starts on Saturday, Jan. 6, and concludes on Mardi Gras, Tuesday Feb. 13.
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