For immediate Release: Les Fous du Carnaval: Fou Whatcha Wanna, January 31, 2025, 8pm

January 23, 2025

For immediate Release: Les Fous du Carnaval: Fou Whatcha Wanna, January 31, 2025, 8pm

MEDIA CONTACTS

Karla Marie Cochran | karlamariecochran@gmail.com

Laurie Herbert | 504.410.7556 | kreweofgoddesses@gmail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Les Fous du Carnaval: Fou Whatcha Wanna, January 31, 2025, 8pm

NEW ORLEANS, January 19, 2025 - Friends, Big Chiefs, Spyboys, and Grand Zombies, Les Fous du Carnaval are back to invite one and all to “Fou Whatcha Wanna” with us! We ALL asked for YOU!

On Friday, January 31, 2025, at 8pm, we’ll cissy strut our stuff, do the hambone, and cure all y’alls ills! We’re coming out the swamp like a crazy fool (or maybe the Rougarou or even feu-follet) onto the streets and we wanna see you move ya ass on such a night! We can melt your heart like butter a-a-a-and we can make you stutter. Bring your marraine, your parrain, and Papa Diablo as we walk on guilded splinters and night trip through the Marigny and French Quarter.

Look-ka py py, if we had, if we had, if we had a million dollars, just one million, we would guile & delight parade-goers with costumes that will make even Queen Julia Jackson jealous! We’ve got some hand-crafted gris-gris for the crowds and maybe even some Controllin’ Hearts Get-Together Drops lined up for our annual crawl. We promise to lay off the brain salad surgery as we danse to the brass bands, New Groove, Kings of Brass, and the Banana Peel Stompers. Madi cu defio, en dans dey!

Don’t you feel our leg because if you feel our leg, we’ll start at 8pm at the corner of Frenchmen & Decatur Streets, then groove through the Marigny / Quarter following this route:

Frenchmen --> Royal

Royal --> St. Philip

St. Philip --> Decatur

Decatur --> Jackson Square

You know you're lookin' good, you know you're lookin' good, you know you're lookin' good, soul sister, sister, sister, sister, Les Fous du Carnaval is a creative collaborative of inner krewes: Krewe of Goddesses, Flora & Fauna, Krewe of Hellarious Wingnuts, and The Legendary Order of the Casket Girls. Handa Wanda, it’s our 4th year parading on this same route and our Junco Partners have expanded to include new inner krewes, Shimmy Shakti Belly Dance Goddesses, The Mystical Krewe of Aziza, and Bywater Crazy Cat Ladies & Gents.

YOU ALREADY KNOOOOOOW!!!!

Eh la bas, Tipitina, Tipitina! As always, the only way to find out is to come out! Leave all racism, misogyny, transphobia, or bigotry of any kind at home. And stay as safe from bird flu and continued COVID as you can while out on the route~~remember Mardi Gras is for masking! Hope to see all of your beautiful faces there!! Xoxo

ABOUT LES FOUS DU CARNAVAL

Les Fous du Carnaval is a community of like-minded krewes with shared ideals consisting of the krewes of Flora & Fauna, Krewe of Goddesses, Krewe of Hellarious Wingnuts, The Legendary Order of the Casket Girls, Shimmy Shakti Belly Dance Goddesses, Mystical Krewe of Aziza, and Bywater Crazy Cat Ladies & Gents. We organized in 2021 and launched our first parade in 2022. We are not bound by a single captain—each inner krewe has equal input and a safe space to shape our future. We are iconoclastic and inclusive and strive to represent the true diversity of our city within our membership except for the local “nobility” who, in the true spirit of the origins of Mardi Gras, can all get bent and keep Carnival equitable, accessible, and affordable for all. We are lovers, not fighters. We bow down to no ruler. We are Carnival of and for the masses.

ABOUT KREWE OF GODDESSES

Krewe of Goddesses is a social aid & pleasure club that works towards the empowerment of the female identity, body positivity and sex positivity through outreach and activism in our community. Founded in 2011, the mission of the Krewe of Goddesses is to create a safe space where all members feel valued and have the support and encouragement to be their creative and authentic selves. We acknowledge that we have continual work to do in order to be strong allies as we strive to be truly anti-racist and anti-sexist and fight for a just society. Our roots lie in taking back our sexuality and bodies from a culture that is often more fearful of sexuality than violence. We work to change that perception and have a lot of fun along the way. Our krewe is woman-centric, but we have grown to include not only women but also men and trans persons from all class, religious and diverse backgrounds. We believe in the Universal Whole and respect those who are multi-sexual and all that are in touch with the Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine.

ABOUT KREWE OF HELLARIOUS WINGNUTS

The Krewe of Hellarious Wingnuts is a small, clandestine walking club that honors the city of New Orleans each year by satirizing those who perpetuate and benefit from its gross incompetence.

ABOUT FLORA & FAUNA

Flora and Fauna brings a resplendent biome, honoring the beasts and beauty of nature through carnival magic. From the icy tundra to the steamy jungle, our krewe embraces individual expression of animal and plant spirits, joining together to revel in the wild streets of New Orleans. Flora and Fauna was formed in 2018, evolving from the Krewe of Muumuu and Krewe du Krakatoa. After deep soul searching, a choice was made to abandon the colonizer glorification of Polynesian culture and instead glorify the beauty of the natural world.

ABOUT THE LEGENDARY ORDER OF THE CASKET GIRLS

The Order was created in the summer of 2023. The original members, otherwise known as The High Council, consist of six women dedicated to The Order's mission. The Legendary Order of the Casket Girls' mission is to create a structured environment of support, empowerment, inclusion, and transparency to promote the inherent worth and value of all individuals. The Order's pillars of empowerment are self-expression, self-development, community service, and paying homage to New Orleans history and legends.

ABOUT SHIMMY SHAKTI BELLY DANCE GODDESSES

Shimmy Shakti Troupe is a MENAHT (Middle Eastern, North African, Hellenic, and Turkish)/belly dance troupe that has been performing in New Orleans since 2011 as part of Belly Dance Goddess Hour. In 2017, Shimmy Shakti debuted as a New Orleans Dance Krewe for Gay Pride Parade, also joining Krewe of Goddesses in Southern Decadence in 2024. This year, in 2025, Shimmy Shakti officially joins Les Fous du Carnaval as SHIMMY SHAKTI BELLY DANCE GODDESSES KREWE.

SHAKTI symbolises the feminine principle, the activating power and energy. We believe in the healing power of the arts. Our mission is to create a vibrant community where dance and movement are celebrated and accessible to all. We aim to create a community that radiates love, kindness, joy, and appreciates cultural exchange while inspiring self-discovery, connection, and personal growth. We recognize that diversity and inclusivity enrich our community, and we welcome individuals with open arms, ready to embrace their unique perspectives and experiences.

ABOUT THE MYSTICAL KREWE OF AZIZA

The Mystical Krewe of Aziza is a magical group of African fairies on a mission to spread joy and magic during Mardi Gras and beyond.

ABOUT BYWATER CRAZY CAT LADIES & GENTS

The Bywater Crazy Cat Ladies and Gents started as a bi-annual barcrawl in 2022. This is their first parade as a Krewe.

PICS, PICS, PICS!!

Les Fous du Carnaval Parade Photos 2022-24 - Please credit @rhrphotography

SOCIAL MEDIA

PARADE FACEBOOK EVENT: https://www.facebook.com/share/17EBDWtRcF/

KREWE OF GODDESSES: IG: @KreweofGoddesses; FB https://www.facebook.com/KreweOfGoddesses

KREWE OF HELLARIOUS WINGNUTS: FB: https://www.facebook.com/thekreweofhellariouswingnuts

LEGENDARY ORDER OF THE CASKET GIRLS: IG: @theorderofthecasketgirls;

FB: https://www.facebook.com/thelegendaryorderofthecasketgirls/