There were two revealing news stories about Carnival coming out of Jefferson Parish last week. One came from a report in The Times-Picayune based on a public records request. The report gave results of the Mike Yenni administration’s review…
Last week, the Krewe of Nyx announced that it would break Carnival tradition by staging a summer version of its parade to be held in July in addition to its regular Carnival season march. This was supposed to be…
Random Thoughts About Carnival 2019
I once worked in an office where on the day after Mardi Gras I noticed the two girls at the front desk each had ashen crosses on their forehead. At first I thought it was touching that they had gone…
What a year!
When a wet Mardi Gras is a metaphor for life
King cake lovers can vote for their favorite king cake flavor in celebration of Mardi Gras season
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Chef Kelly Fields, the culinary genius behind Willa Jean in the Central Business District, will keep her doors open for locals and visitors alike during the party, to enjoy a cocktail, festive brunch or delicious Caramel…
Louisianans cast nearly 3,500 votes for their favorite brands and flavor varieties throughout competition
A true Carnival bummer
The weekend leading up to Mardi Gras is one of the most fun times of year in our extremely festive region, and area venues and establishments are making the most of it! Some of our favorite performers will come…
It is Carnival in New Orleans and many of us are feeling very well, thank you for asking! So far it’s been a hit or miss affair where the weather is concerned, but we’ve seen worse. We’ll put on…
This is one of my favorite weeks of the year. It’s fun to watch everyone’s orbit slowly shift into the overwhelming pull of Mardi Gras. There is music everywhere and the hits keep on coming. Here are some can’t…
Attention Mardi Gras revelers! By now many of us are experts on how to get around town and maneuver through the Carnival road blocks and closures. It takes pre planning and a strategic mindset to get where we are…
Lake Charles flaunts Carnival royalty at the Mardi Gras Royal Gala
Tough Stands On Public Issues
A few tips to ensure a fun and easy time with kids
Sure, it looks like rain, but no rain can stop Mardi Gras. This weekend kicks off Mardi Gras in Acadiana with Krewe de Canaille’s parade without barricades! There are more Mardi Gras-related activities to follow, including the Krewe de Chien…
Wi-Fi hotspots along Uptown parade routes and discounts in Jefferson Parish make Lyft the ideal Carnival Season choice
Top spots to refuel on Tuesday, March 5
NEW ORLEANS (press release) — The Mystic Krewe of Nyx will usher in this year’s festivities with its annual Royal Toast on Thursday, February 21. Nyx Captain Julie Lea and approximately 200 krewe members will toast Goddess Nyx VIII, Shelby…
Special guests and Carnival royalty celebrate the hotel’s 50th anniversary at its annual, one-of-a-kind Mardi Gras tradition
Mardi Gras weather can turn on a dime, one reason my mother used to create costumes that could easily be worn as is or slipped over long sleeves and long johns. That was the case in Shreveport last year…
Thousands of Revelers Expected on Sunday before Mardi Gras in the Warehouse District at Generations Hall
Last Sunday an ancient form of communication, a church homily, combined with a technique as modern as a podcast to deliver some sense to a sensitive issue. The homily, by Father Peter Finney III the pastor of St. Rita’s church…
Moon Pies were not invented in New Orleans, but they should have been. The confection has a New Orleans quality to it – decadent and excessive. Because they are factory wrapped in cellophane the marshmallow sandwiches are legal to toss from carnival…
New Orleans is gearing up for Valentine's Day and Carnival, and what better way to celebrate than with a cocktail? Flamingo A-Go-Go (869 Magazine St.) will host Galentine's Day on Friday, Feb. 15. They are celebrating women by showing chick flicks galore. You…
Feb. 13, 1872 – New Orleans For George Armstrong Custer the occasion of the first Rex parade on Feb. 13, 1872 was one of the few marches in his life in which he was a spectator and not a…
Mardi Gras is one month away and Carnival Historian Errol Laborde shared all the details that paradegoers need to know about on WWL-TV's Eye on Carnival.
BATON ROUGE (press release) – Brew me something, barista! With Mardi Gras just one month away, CC's Coffee House is debuting its annually renowned Mardi Gras-themed coffee flavors at all of its Louisiana and Mississippi coffee houses. CC’s Coffee House is…
Errol Laborde holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of New Orleans and is the editor-in-chief of Renaissance Publishing. In that capacity he serves as editor/associate publisher of New Orleans Magazineand editor/publisher ofLouisiana Life magazine.
Errol is also a producer and a regular panelist on Informed Sources, a weekly news discussion program broadcast on public television station WYES-TV, Channel 12. Errol is a three-time winner of the Alex Waller Award, the highest award given in print journalism by the Press Club of New Orleans. He also received the National and City Regional Magazine Association Award for Best Column for his New Orleans Magazine column, beating out 76 city magazines across the country. In 2013, Errol received the award for the "Best News Affiliated Blog," awarded by the Press Club of New Orleans.
Errol’s most recent books are Krewe: The Early Carnival from Comus to Zulu and Marched the Day God: A History of the Rex Organization. In his free time he enjoys playing tennis and traveling with his wife, Peggy, to anywhere they can get away to, but some of his favorite spots are the Caribbean and historic locations around Louisiana. You can reach Errol at (504) 830-7235 or errol@myneworleans.com.
