The Krewe du Vieux is a New OrleansCarnival (or "Mardi Gras") Krewe, originally and more fully known as the Krewe du Vieux Carre ("Vieux Carre" being another term for the city's French Quarter). It is one of the earliest parades of the New Orleans Carnival calendar, and is noted for wild satirical and adult themes, as well as for showcasing a large number of New Orleans' best marching bands.
Krewe du Vieux Title Float
Krewe member costumed for marching in the parade
The Krewe du Vieux was established in 1987. It is actually an amalgamation of several smaller semi-independent Krewes (or Sub-Krewes) that pool their resources together for parade permits and other expences and obligations. Several of the Sub-Krewes predate the Krewe du Vieux, originating as walking clubs or as Sub-Krewes of the defunct Krewe of Clones in the 1970s and early 1980s.
The Krewe du Vieux is perhaps simultaneously the most individualistic and the most traditional of all New Orleans parading Krewes. It has no large tractor pulled floats like the larger Krewes, using only old style small human or mule drawn floats intersperced with marchers on foot. No recorded music blares from boom-box trucks, for the Krewe du Vieux uses music only from live bands. The floats are hand made and decorated by members of the respective sub-Krewes, often with themes satirizing local politics and customs, sometimes of a bawdy nature -- much closer to early 19th century Carnival traditions than any other Krewe currently parading. The Krewe du Vieux is the only Krewe still allowed to parade through the French Quarter (other than some small walking Krewes on Mardi Gras Day); Krewes with larger floats have been prohibited in the narrow streets of the old town since the 1970s.
Several of the sub-krewes predate the KreweduVieux, originating as walking clubs or as sub-krewes of the defunct Krewe of Clones in the 1970s and early 1980s.
The KreweduVieux is perhaps simultaneously the most individualistic and the most traditional of all New Orleans parading krewes.
A Krewe is an organization that puts on a parade and or a ball for the New Orleans Carnival season (Mardi Gras).
The word is thought to have been coined in the early 19th century by an organization calling themselves Ye Mystick Krewe of Comus, as an imitation or parody of Old English; with time it became the most common term for a New Orleans Carnival organization.
Criteria for krewe membership varies similarly, ranging from exclusive organizations largely limited to relatives of previous members to other organizations open to anyone able to pay the membership fee.
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