The Krewe of Endymion is one of only three Super Krewes (using floats and celebrity Grand Marshals), and is the largest of the parades participating in the New Orleans Mardi Gras.[1] Many people begin saving their viewing spots for this parade several days before the parade actually rolls, although spot-saving is widely frowned upon and is discouraged. It was founded in 1966 and named after Endymion {en-dim'-ee-uhn}, from Greek mythology.[2] The first ball was held in 1968.
Parade
The first Endymion parade rolled on February 4, 1967 in the Gentilly neighborhood near the New Orleans Fair Grounds horse racing facility.[2] The parade remained on its original route until 1976, when it was shifted to its now traditional Mid-City route, rolling from Orleans Avenue to North Carrollton Avenue to Canal Street and into the Caesar's Superdome.
The 2003 parade was forced to the Uptown route along St. Charles Avenue by construction of the Canal Streetcar Line,[3] a circumstance which repeated in 2006 and 2007 due to a lack of manpower within the NOPD in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Endymion returned to Mid-City in 2008 and is the only remaining parade in the New Orleans city limits which does not use the Uptown route.[citation needed]
On February 25, 2017, an impaired driver injured between 28 and 32 people when his pickup truck hit two cars and a parade crowd and crashed into a dump truck. Terrorism was quickly ruled out when a breathalyzer test was three times over the legal driving limit.[4]
On March 2, 2019, an impaired driver killed two people and injured seven others when he plowed through a bicycle lane during the parade.[5]
On February 22, 2020, the parade was halted and cancelled after 13 floats, after a spectator was struck and killed between the halves of a tandem float. Following the incident, as well as a similar death during the Nyx parade earlier in the week, the city of New Orleans banned interconnected floats from the remaining Mardi Gras parades that year. Parades were canceled in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. As parades resume in 2022, the city may require further safety measures surrounding tandem floats.[6][7][8]
Its motto, "Throw Until It Hurts",[citation needed] defines a tradition of being extremely generous with its throws, tossing millions of beads, cups, doubloons and trinkets during its annual parade, held the Saturday before Mardi Gras.
Parade Theme
Unlike many other Carnival Krewes, Endymion announces the season theme months prior to Mardi Gras.
2001 2001: A Space Odyssey - Mankind's Journey into Space
2000 At Home in the Dome
1999 Mardi Gras from the Beginning
1998 Biographies
1997 Les Festivals Internationale
1996 Master Storytellers
1995 Creature Features
1994 Endymion’s Rockumentary
1993 Flights of Fantasy
1992 The World’s Greatest Mysteries
1991 Silver Memories
1990 Saturday Night at the Movies
1989 They Changed the World
1988 New Orleans, This is Your Life
1987 I'd Rather Be...
1986 What Might Have Been
1985 Come to the Mardi Gras
1984 It Was a Very Good Year
1983 Myths and Legends
1982 Literary Treasures
1981 Heartbeat of America
1980 Broadway on Parade
1979 Endymion, A Thing of Beauty
1978 The Superstars
1977 It’s a Small World
1976 Hail to the Chiefs
1975 America Celebrates
1974 Endymion Salutes the Ladies
1973 Golden Reflections
1972 Fables and Folklore
1971 New Orleans, American's Most Interesting City
1970 Kingdoms Revisited
1969 Music... and that Reminds Me
1968 Highlights of the Silver Screen
1967 Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Samedi Gras
Samedi Gras is the Endymion pre-parade block party located between Carrollton and City Park Avenue. Samedi Gras begins at noon on parade day. The Captain and riding celebrities arrive early and address the crowds and the Endymion Parade begins shortly after.
Endymion Extravaganza
The parade is immediately followed with a party called the Endymion Extravaganza. It was held from 1974 to 1980 at the now demolished Rivergate Convention Center. Since 1981, it has been held in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, except in 2006 when it was held at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center due to repairs to the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina; 2011 due to ongoing renovations; and 2023 and 2024 due to extensive renovations in advance of Super Bowl LIX. The Krewe is scheduled to return the Extravangza to the Superdome after its March 1, 2025 parade. During the 2010s, the Krewe has had over 3000 members and over 20,000 guests at its Extravaganza.[citation needed]
