From satirical to silly, walking clubs spice up Mardi Gras

NEW ORLEANS – From the Star Wars-themed Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus to the pooch-centred Krewe of Barkus, New Orleans now boasts 50 walking Carnival clubs that parade throughout the Mardi Gras season.

Ranging from satirical and political to the cute and risqué, that’s the most walking clubs in the city’s long Carnival history, making the weeks-long celebration more colorful and diverse than ever before, says Mardi Gras historian Arthur Hardy, who publishes an annual guide that includes historical facts about Carnival, parade schedules and maps of routes.

While some groups put on choreographed dances or march between floats and bands in the larger parades, others take centre stage in the French Quarter, strolling the narrow streets of the historic neighbourhood where large floats aren’t permitted.