In a circa 1930s archival photo, horse-mounted revelers and a mule-drawn king’s float part the sea of revelers on their way down St. Francis Street, alongside the Cotton Exchange, now the RSA BankTrust Tower. Crowds had already grown exponentially since the earliest parades.
The contemporary view, photographed from the third floor balcony of WebOperations on St. Francis Street, provides an elevated view of a super-hero themed parade on Mardi Gras Day.
As the years have passed, paraders have appeared in more and more elaborate contraptions, while crowds as diverse as the city itself now line the route.
Click here to check our online calendar for parade dates, times and routes.
Archival image courtesy of the Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library/ USA Archives
text and photo by Catt Sirten
