Krewe of Cleopatra

The Krewe of Cleopatra is named after the Egyptian Queen of the Nile, Cleopatra. The club was established in 1972, becoming the first Carnival Club for women on the West Bank of the Mississippi River. The Krewe from the West Bank made its' permanent move to the East Bank after the 2013 carnival season, becoming the first all-female organization on the Uptown parade route in New Orleans, Louisiana.[1] Their motto is: "Her beauty is timeless, her age is now...forever!"[2]

Cleopatra was founded by two sisters from New Orleans in 1972.[3] Having appreciated parades their entire lives as natives of New Orleans, the two women decided to start their own carnival club. They got in touch with a friend at Mardi Gras World, who encouraged them to form the krewe.[3] Once they received the okay from the proper authorities in Gretna and Orleans Parish, The Krewe of Cleopatra was born.[4] The krewe paraded on the West Bank for 39 years, taking one year off after Hurricane Katrina,[3] before making their debut on the Uptown parade route in 2014.[4]

The krewe usually consists of around 20 floats, and in 2018 they grew to over 1,000 members[5]. The 2017 parade featured 21 floats and bands from Louisiana and Mississippi, including the bands from Terrebonne High, H. L. Bourgeois High, Copiah Academy, Oaklawn Junior High, East St. John, St. James and Morgan City high schools.[6] The annual celebration begins with a Cleopatra pre-parade and ends with the post-parade, Cleo Jubilee. In between the pre and post-parade events, the parade travels down the Uptown parade route on St. Charles Avenue. Other Krewe of Cleopatra events during the year include a Rendezvous Ball in January, as well as a Masquerade Gala in September.[1]

In 2018, the Krewe of Cleopatra celebrated their 45th anniversary with the theme "Cleopatra's Animal Kingdom".[1] The theme for 2019 will be "Cleopatra's Animated Adventures". [5]

Krewe of Cleopatra logo
Krewe of Cleopatra Themes
Year Theme
2019 Cleopatra's Animated Adventures[5]
2018 Cleopatra's Animal Kingdom
2017 Cleopatra Wishes
2016 Cleopatra Rocks the Big Easy![4]
2015 Nightmare on the Avenue
2014 Strolling Down the Avenue[7]
2013 Dreams of Conquest
2012 Cleopatra Tips Her Hat to Mardi Gras
2011 Egyptian Treasures[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Krewe of Cleopatra Parade Route". Mardi Gras New Orleans. Retrieved 2018-07-10.
  2. ↑ Hardy, Arthur. "Cleopatra". New Orleans Online. Retrieved 2018-07-10.
  3. 1 2 3 Hilsenrod, Samantha. "CLEOPATRA'S REIGN". NOLA Defender. Retrieved 2018-07-10.
  4. 1 2 3 "PARADE PLANNER: OSHUN, CLEOPATRA". NOLA Defender. Retrieved 2018-07-10.
  5. 1 2 3 Morris, Melinda (2018-08-21). "Mardi Gras 2019: Krewe of Cleopatra announces its super theme". Nola.com. Retrieved 2018-08-21.
  6. ↑ Walker, Kevinisha (2017-01-27). "Krewe of Cleopatra presents 2017 royalty". Houma Today. Retrieved 2018-07-10.
  7. ↑ "A-Krewe-Ing Interest". NOLA Defender. Retrieved 2018-07-10.
  8. ↑ Morris, Melinda (2011-01-23). "Krewe of Cleopatra celebrating 38 years on the West Bank". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved 2018-07-10.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.