In a city that doesn’t let anything rain on its parade, the Krewe of House Floats will roll forward with its plans for a safe alternative to the 2021 Carnival season despite the cancelation of parades due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Created by New Orleans resident Megan Boudreaux, the Krewe of House Floats began as an idea posted to social media and rapidly grew into an organization with more than 7,000 members.
“It started off as a Twitter joke and now everyone wants to participate,” said Boudreaux. “We look forward to this not only being a way for people to safely celebrate Carnival season, but also as an opportunity to help our city’s culture bearers.”
Volunteers and subkrewes assisting with the Krewe of House Floats have spent countless hours forming an LLC, organizing with the City of New Orleans, building a website and creating the official Krewe of House Floats map where carnival-goers can visit participating houses, which will be decorated with the traditional flair of the city’s beloved floats.
Decoration of the dedicated house floats will begin on King’s Day (January 6, 2021), the official start of Carnival season. More than 30 subkrewes have popped up from neighborhoods throughout the New Orleans area, including Jefferson and St. Tammany parishes, with those unable to return home for the Carnival season festivities celebrating from afar.
Following Carnival season, which culminates with Mardi Gras Day on February 16, the Krewe of House Floats will donate all proceeds to organizations around the city who are most affected by the cancellation of parades, including but not limited to float builders and culture bearers. More details about community partnerships are forthcoming.
Old Gretna has chosen the theme of “Yasss Queen.” Information on this subkrewe can be found on the Facebook Page: The Old Gretna Krewe of House Floats. You may follow along with the subkrewe theme or choose your own.
Each house will be placed on a public map as long as you are registered by December 31.
Alternatively, even if you can’t be a stop on the map, you can decorate your window/door/balcony/interior and post your photos to social media with the hashtag #kreweofhousefloats! All parade maps go public on February 1, 2021 so that folks can tour different neighborhoods at their leisure.
For more information or to participate, visit www.KreweOfHouseFloats.org or email the krewe at [email protected]. Follow along on social media: Facebook (@KreweOfHouseFloats), Instagram (@KreweofHouseFloats) and Twitter (@HouseFloats). For corporate and individual sponsorship opportunities, contact [email protected].
