Le Krewe d'Etat

Uptown, New Orleans, LA.

Membership

450

Le Krewe d'Etat is a satirical New Orleans Carnival Krewe.

History and formation

Krewe d'Etat's first inaugural parade was in 1998. Prior to organizing their own parade, a member of the krewe known simply as Unknown Spokesman said the group had covertly infiltrated Pegasus with some floats of their own.^[1] The krewe has historically paraded on the Friday prior to Fat Tuesday, immediately following Hermes. The parade route originally started at Magazine and Napoleon but now follows the traditional route that starts at Jefferson and Magazine, heading downtown to Magazine and Napoleon, then towards the lake on Napoleon to St. Charles, then heading downtown towards Lee Circle, around Lee Circle, and finally onto Canal Street. The procession includes traditional floats, Lieutenants on horseback, and flambeaux carriers. In 2013, d'Etat had 23 floats and roughly 450 riders.^[2]

d'Etat's motto is "Vivite ut Vehatis. Vehite ut Vevatis," which roughly translates to "Live to Ride, Ride to Live."^[3]

Membership

Membership is open, but the Krewe has elected to keep the organization small.^[1]

Parade

Krewe d'Etat parades on Vendredi Gras after Krewe of Hermes on the Uptown route. The Skeleton Walking Krewe hands out the D'Etat Gazette (Carnival Bulletin) leading the parade which provides an overview of the floats.

Le Krewe d'Etat utilize flambeaux to light the parade route.

Krewe d'Etat is notable for being the first Mardi Gras parade to throw blinking beads.^{[citation needed]}

Parade themes

The Krewe decides a new theme for their parade annually ("raison d'etre"), and it, just like The Dictator's identity, remains confidential. The parade floats are intended to lampoon current events, politicians, socialites, business moguls, etc.

2023 D'Good, D'Bad, D'Etat
2022 The Dic Throws D'Bones
2021 D'Etat Goes Viral (no parade due to COVID-19 pandemic)
2020 The Dic Goes To Mardi Gras
2019 Paging Dr. d'Etat
2018 DicMA
2017 Zoo d'Etat
2016 The Dictator Plays Games
2015 Frid'Etat the 13th
2014 D.U.I.
2013 The Dictator's Reading Room
2012 d'Etat Tells It Like It Is
2011 Le Krewe D'Etat's Wide Woild of Sports
2010 d'Etat's Inferno
2009 The Dictator Does Broadway
2008 Le Krewe d'Etat's Dirty Dishes
2007 KDTV in Dictavision
2006 d'Olympics d'Etat
2005 Tarot d'Etat
2004 Malice in Wonderland
2003 Tales Told by Idiots
2002 Rock Around d'Etat
2001 d'Etat.com
2000 Cinema d'Etat
1999 Dictator's Circus
1998 Looziana Scandals and Scoundrels

Dictology

Le Krewe d'Etat eschews monarchy in favor of a figurehead known simply as "The Dictator" whose identity is held secret. The Dictator's "court" includes the Kingfish, the Special Man, the Minister of Misinformation, the Keeper of the Bones and the High Priest.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c McCulley, R. You say you want a revolution?. Kingfish. January 2002.
^ Le Krewe d'Etat Archived 2006-05-21 at archive.today. From: mardigrasunmasked.com. Retrieved October 20, 2007.
^ Le Krewe d'Etat's Website. From: lekrewedetat.com. Retrieved October 20, 2007.

External links

Le Krewe D'Etat's Website
The Times-Picayune's photo gallery of Le Krewe D'Etat
Flickr user Chuck T.'s photo set of Le Krewe d'Etat
Photos of Le Krewe d'Etat's line up at the intersection of Napoleon and Tchoupitoulas Avenues
Photos from 2007's d'Etat parade

Parades at Mardi Gras in New Orleans

Old Line Krewes