by Leah Draffen
Hire A Mardi Gras Artist’s House #4 “The Birds of Bulbancha.” 20
I n side N ew Orl ean s
SINCE OUR HOUSES have been the safest place to be in 2020, it only makes sense to decorate them as Mardi Gras floats. When the parades were canceled, New Orleanian Megan Boudreaux joked about the idea. “I said that I would just decorate my house and throw stuff at my neighbors, but the more I thought about it the more I thought it would actually be something others might want to do,” Megan says. So, she took to Facebook creating the group, Krewe of House Floats. One month to the day of starting the group, there were 8,000 members and counting. Megan’s idea bloomed quickly into an official krewe with over 1,100 registered members. Volunteers and sub-krewes spent countless hours forming an LLC, building a website and official Krewe of House Floats maps, and organizing with the City of New Orleans. “We have 39 sub-krewes, mostly
within the greater New Orleans area, but also expanding into the rest of the state and including expats in the rest of the world.” From Algiers Point to the Northshore, neighborhoods have joined together to establish themes, plans and more. House decorating began on King’s Day…and for some, before that. Many homeowners enlisting the help of artists, float builders and culture bearers who have been greatly impacted by the parade cancellations. Megan put together a resource list and Facebook group that interested parties could access for whatever they needed including throws. When asked about this very different season, Inez Pierre of Crescent City Artist and Pierre Parade Productions says, “I’m overjoyed and overwhelmed at the same time. We’re New Orleans natives chasing time to save the culture of New Orleans and our
photos: LEAH DRAFFEN
Porch Party
KREWE OF HOUSE FLOATS ROLLS ON
