4
Number of Carnival parade organizations that refer to themselves as Knights rather than Krewe: Babylon, King Arthur, Chaos and Sparta.
Top 2
Parade triple-header days
Sun., Feb. 22: Okeanos, Thoth and Mid-City.
Mardi Gras, Feb. 24: Rex, Zulu and truck parades
17
Number of significant Carnival-related anniversaries being celebrated this year.
Zulu -100th
Doubloon -50th
Al Johnson’s song "Carnival Time" – 50th
Knight of Babylon – 70th.
Note: There is a discrepancy in how Carnival organizations compute anniversaries. (See Inside, pg. 6).
4
Number of Carnivals this will be since a ball was last held in the Municipal Auditorium.
0
Indications that the auditorium will be ready by next Mardi Gras.
2
Number of white guys, that we’re aware of, who have had a titled position in the Zulu parade.
The late Aaron Mintz, who once rode as the Witch Doctor.
Attorney Stephen Rue, who is riding as Mr. Big Stuff this year.
9
Number of Muses in Greek mythology:
Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia, and Urania
8
Number of those Muses after whom there is a street named in New Orleans. Sorry Polyhymnia.
1,000+
Number of members in the all-female Krewe of Muses.
Feb. 24
Date of the first Comus parade in 1857. (Comus began the continuing Mardi Gras parading tradition as we know it.) That is also the date of Mardi Gras this year.
17
Years since the Mistick Krewe of Comus last paraded.
Top 2
parade triple-header nights
Thurs., Feb. 19: Babylon, Chaos and Muses.
Fri., Feb, 20: Hermes, d’Etat and Morpheus.
Gazillion
Number of times that it seems parade bands play the “Hey Song” (also known as “Rock and Roll, Pt. II”) during parades.
Note: This song has been banned by some schools because of controversial lyrics assigned to it at sporting events. During Carnival parades, just the music is heard rather than the frequent chant of “Hey!”