The Mardi Gras Indian Council has unveiled the parade route for this year’s Uptown Super Sunday festivities, which are slated to hit Central City on Sunday, March 19. The gathering also happens to fall on St. Joseph’s Day, a day that has considerable significance in the Mardi Gras Indian community.
Council Chief Howard Miller has confirmed that the procession will begin at 1pm at Washington Ave. and LaSalle St. before moving onto Simon Bolivar Ave. and turning left onto Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. It will then turn left onto Claiborne Ave. before turning left onto Washington Ave. Finally, the parade will culminate at A.L. Davis Park at Washington Ave. and LaSalle St. , where there will be a variety of cultural activities and live musical performances.
Approximately 30 Mardi Gras indian tribes are expected to take part in Uptown Super Sunday.
The festival at A.L. Davis Park will kick off at 11am and continue for much of the day. Performers include the Hot 8 Brass Band, Young Pinstripe Brass Band, D.J. Jubilee, Big al Carson, To Be Continued Brass Band, D.J. Captain Charles, Dave Lemon, Young Men, Olympian, Lady Buckjumpers, B.R.W. Singing Group and more. These festivities will pay tribute to the late Big Chief Bo Dollis Sr., Big Chief Larry Bannock and gospel singer Jo “Cool” Davis, who all passed away over the course of the last few years.
The latest issue of OffBeat includes an in-depth feature on the history of Super Sunday, a term that applies to Mardi Gras Indian processions that take place Uptown, Downtown and on the West Bank in March and April.