UPDATE: Due to a shortage of police, the Krewe of Chewbacchus Parade has been shortened. The parade will begin at the intersection of Elysian Fields and Royal Street on Saturday, February 5, at 7 p.m. and proceed through the French Quarter along Decatur Street before disbanding at North Peters and Conti streets near Canal Place. See the map below.

The Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus, a sci-fi and fantasy-themed Carnival parade founded in 2011, will return to the streets on Saturday, February 5. The parading organization bills itself as a draw for “Star Wars freaks, Trekkies, Whovians, mega-geeks, gamers, cosplayers, circuit benders, cryptozoologists, UFO conspiracy theorists, mad scientists, and all super nerds.”

In a press release issued on Friday, February 4, krewe captains announced, “We will take a slow, leisurely pace to make sure we get all of our beautiful throws into the hands of our fans and spectators,” adding, “We urge our members, friends, and fans to patronize the businesses along St. Claude Avenue this evening, tomorrow before and after the parade, and again on Sunday.”

The post-parade Chewbacchanal at The Fillmore will start at 9p instead of the previously scheduled 10p.

The parade will feature memorial portraits commemorating beloved icons lost during the past two years, including Anne Rice, Chadwick Boseman, David Prowse, Sid Noel Rideau (better known as Morgus the Magnificent) and Jeremy Bulloch.

Chewbacchus prides itself on environmental consciousness. The krewe’s website states, “We are the first truly open source parade with an emphasis on DIY, homemade, and sustainable materials and practices.” Members build a variety of mostly non-motorized contraptions to roll in the parade, but each must be pushed, pedaled, pulled, or electric-powered (particle propulsion accepted). Tricycles, shopping carts, robotic power chairs, rickshaws and golf carts regularly appear.

The theme for the parade is “System Reset,” a nod to last year’s cancellation due to the pandemic. The total number of members has dropped from a record of 2,400 in 2020 to 1,800 as a concession to a reduced number of police officers assigned to the procession. Subkrewes, which number 107, will include a group known as Crayze for Swayze dressed as characters portrayed by the late actor Patrick Swayze, the Leijorettes marching club who pay homage to Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia, Space Vikings, Queer Eye for the Scifi and We Are All Wonder Women.

For more information, including the opportunity to join the parade up until parade day, visit the Krewe of Chewbacchus website.