Celebrate over 300 years of Haitian and New Orleans history at Kanaval Ball February 14. The two-day Krewe Du Kanaval Experience will pay homage to the longstanding relationship between the two rich cultures in a groovy weekend of music, food, and fun. With Arcade Fire headlining and performances by Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Kanaval’s Ball kicks off their 2020 theme — Merci Haiti— with style. In addition, Michael Brun, Jillionaire, Lakou Mizik, and Pierre Kwenders will be joined by other special guests in this Mardi-Gras extravaganza. 

Krewe du Kanaval’s recent conception in 2015 originated when Arcade Fire’s Régine Chassagne (daughter of Haitian immigrants) and Win Butler brought Ben Jaffe and other members of Preservation Hall to Haiti. Their experiences gave birth to the Mardi Gras Krewe —which later became Krewe Du Kanaval — to celebrate the vast history between our two cultures. Moreover, Krewe du Kanaval has various philanthropic initiatives that serve unmet social and cultural needs of both New Orleans and Haiti to continue developing this historical relationship.

Chassagne said, “Krewe Du Kanaval was created to honor New Orleans’ Creole culture with its Haitian and Caribbean roots — a piece of this city’s history that is very important to me. Our Krewe hopes to join the amazing people of New Orleans carrying this torch and carve a place in the Carnival tradition to explicitly pay tribute to these roots.” 

The roots of New Orleans culture run deep, and there are endless opportunities to celebrate the colorful culture that makes this city so unique. This Ball plays a special role in keeping an important community of New Orleans alive and well. Additionally, Krewe Du Kanaval and Preservation Hall will join the Krewe of Freret on Saturday, February 15, to parade the traditional uptown route. All Krewe du Kanaval members will have a special opportunity to ride on two specially curated parade floats or march down in style with the Krewe. 

TICKET GIVEAWAY!

We’re sending one winner to February 14’s Krewe du Kanaval Ball for free! To enter, fill out the form below (and don’t forget to take advantage of bonus entries!). We’ll notify the winner via email on Wednesday, February 12.

Tickets can be found here.