The first day of Carnival, Jan. 6, commences the ride to Mardi Gras. And where better to start that ride than aboard one of New Orleans' iconic green streetcars? Here are the two parades that begin the season with a view from the neutral ground.
Phunny Phorty Phellows
7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 6, St. Charles streetcar route
Formed in 1981, the Phunny Phorty Phellows is a rolling costume party that takes place aboard a St. Charles Avenue streetcar. Not a parade per se, the Champagne-fueled, satirical streetcar ride draws a crowd at its starting spot at the Willow Street car barn, as it heralds the start of the Carnival season in Uptown New Orleans.
The group takes its name from a bygone Carnival Club that marched from 1878 to 1898. For more information, visit phunnyphortyphellows.com.
Funky Uptown Krewe
7:05 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 6, St. Charles streetcar route
Established in 2019, the streetcar-borne Mardi Gras group, which is devoted to one of New Orleans best-loved musical styles, rolls behind the Phunny Phorty Phellows’ annual streetcar ride on the first day of Carnival.
Krewe members dispense hand-decorated, vinyl record albums from the windows of the streetcar. For more information, visit the krewe's Facebook page.
