Krewe of Pontchartrain

A fun krewe open to anyone. There is a ball, luncheon, balcony party and parade if you want to participate in all activities.Compared to a lot of krewes, this can be much cheaper. Very fun and you can select what options you want added to the parade (ball, luncheon). Every year the theme changes and the throws reflect that. The Grouper Trays are a prized throw.

Please note: Do not expose yourself at this parade. There are families with small children around. Police are nearby and you will be arrested and charged. You will not earn any beads and you will possibly be a felon.For some history on this parade krewe, here is the link to their website http://www.mardigrasparadeschedule.com/krewes/pontchartrain/ which provides some great information. It runs during the day, and it is great for families with kids, as they have a ton of beads they throw, as well as plenty of stuffed animals and toys. This year, it rained a bit, which was a bit of a downer. The crowds are not as unruly with this parade, which is nice. They have a ton of floats, marching bands and dance teams. It is a diverse parade, which is always nice. It runs the weekend before the big blowout weekend, so it is not as crowded.Come out and enjoy! You won't regret it.

Pontchartrain is another small krewe which runs the first weekend of Mardi Gras. I like that they often have the folks on the street guess the title of the floats...not that most folks notice. And I like their fishy mascot.Unfortunately, I missed most of the parade this year because of a small incident between my bike and some dude with a ladder. It is not cool to bleed on folks at the parade.

This Krewe is name after the big Lake Pontchartrain. This is one of the daytime parades and has more action and good for the kid who cannot stay late at night. This is one of the parades I like since it just located two building from my resort. When we hear the music we know the parade is arrived. Parents please check the progress of the parade if you decided to watch at the Canal Street. It usually takes about 2 hours to reach here since the parade is 4.5 miles before it reach the Canal Street. The parade consist of dance school, Cajun Indian and Cowboy horse Riding Club, Tulane ROTC, High and Middle school marching band, flag team, cheer leader, private school team, Big Easy Roller Girls, Muff-A-Lottas, Academy school. Of course there is King and Queen Float and other Float for the beads. The parade comes with dune buggy, horses, tractor pull float, and pony. There people dress like black Cowboy and white Indian. I like the Muff-A-Lottas group of waitress dance with their serving tray. This is the parade you can see far away when they approach. A tip is to find a spot where they turn and you can them far away. This is a parade I recommended for the children to enjoy since it is daytime not late at night. There big amount of bead were giving out make people rush for it. Although there is barricade along the route, I still see adult doing unthinkable thing let their kid over the barricade and pick up the beads that left at the middle of street that hard to get. This dangerous and the float may injure the kid.

Wow. I was not expecting to enjoy myself nearly as much as I did with Pontchartrain. Honestly, I was expecting to stumble out, get sunburnt, whine about the sunburn, and bitch about the crappy parade. I guess Oshun the night before put me in a bad mood. The stingy riders and forced smiles didn't seem very fun. Pontchartrain was another story. The vibe this krewe gave off was really nice; I enjoyed relaxing into the parade and smiling and dancing and just being happy. Every rider was generous with their throws, the folks catching were all getting some so no one was diving or hustling or being jerks, and everyone seemed like they were having a good time. The bands in this parade were working hard, and the marching groups were holding up well despite the heat. (Yes, heat in February. God bless Louisiana.) A big part of enjoying the parade for me is the feeling I get being part of the crowd. If the spectators turn hostile or bored or competitive, I don't enjoy myself. That's a silly thing, but it is part of what makes me into lil ole me. The families (and they were mostly families) hanging out for Pontchartrain were having a relaxing Saturday. I also guessed the title of every float! Go me! (I'm doing a little happy dance here. Just imagine it, okay?) For someone traveling to New Orleans and trying to decide when to visit, I'm not sure I would recommend going out of your way to come to this parade unless you have small children who are easily overwhelmed. But for someone new to the area, I'd highly recommend hitting up this parade with friends or family. Recommended beer: O'douls. I can't, in good faith, recommend drinking something harder at such a sweet and cuddly event.

Usually Krewe of Ponchatrain has their act together.But this year they just weren't the same. It seemed like they were more interested in getting drunk and waving at people. Most of the time they would be fumbling through their beads instead of throwing.But its all good, During this lack of bead catching I managed to get extra drunk. So I guess it wasn't a total bust. It really didn't bother me though given the fact there were quiet a few other Mardi gras Krewes that were being extra stingy with the beads this year. Also its mardi gras the best time of the year!In short the parade wasn't that great this year. But there is always next year.

Krewe of Pontchartrain rolls early Saturday afternoon the weekend before the BIG weekend. This was the parade I saw after being somewhat disheartened by the lack of enthusiasm exhibited by Oshun the night before. What a pick me up! The parade had a great vibe to it. It seemed very friendly and everyone seemed to be having a good time; both riders and spectators. There were some bands that had marched the night before, but this time they seemed much more into it. The kids were smiling, dancing, and playing their hearts out. I think this would be an excellent parade to take the kids to. It was a good crowd, but not overly crowded, family friendly, but still fun for everyone. They had some nice throws and were very generous with them. Highly recommended.

I have a very soft spot in my heart of Krewe of Pontchartrain - while it's not much to write home about, it was the very first Mardi Gras parade I ever saw shortly after I moved to the city a few years ago. It's one of the small "first weekend" parades, so the crowds are usually pretty small, and it's just a fun neighborly time to be out. If you're new to the city and a bit intimidated by the big giant parades, this is a good "starter" parade.

For us Mardi Gras doesn't start until Pontchartrain says so!! It is the first daytime parade down the traditional parade route! Saturday of weekend one it gets things rolling and is one of the best parades you will attend. The riders throw abundantly and are great to have special things for the kids. I have seen Huge stuffed animals in abundance on this parade. It is a smaller Krewe but seems to be growing as each year there are more floats and they are always full of riders unlike some parades where the floats are half empty. This Krewe is also open to the public to come and ride and join the fun. If you want to ride and attend a ball you can do it! The people are fun,friendly and know how to have a good time. If you haven't caught this parade you are missing out....and if you want to ride in it you can join as membership is open! Go pass a good time!!