News and information from the New Orleans area
Posts tagged Mardi Gras
King Cakes, King Cakes, more King Cakes
016 years
I remember when I moved to NOLA, only plain King Cakes were sold in a few bakeries, especially McKenzie’s Bakeries around town. No groceries sold them. All King Cakes were plain. These were the dark ages of King Cakes. A number of years later, McKenzie’s introduced the first filled King Cakes, and there was no looking back. Now, every grocery and bakery in town wouldn’t consider not selling King Cakes- they bring in shoppers. New Orleanians cannot get enough King Cakes! We live in the enlightened age of King Cakes, with a zillion flavors available to anyone in the world with an internet connection.
To show just how far filled King Cakes have come, here’s the list from Rouse’s Supermarkets current circular of the various fillings and flavors they sell:
Almond
Apple
Apple Cream Cheese
Bavarian Cream
Blueberry
Blueberry Cream Cheese
Caramel
Chocolate
Coconut
Cookies & Cream
Cream Cheese
Heavenly Hash
Lemon
Pecan
Pina Colada
Pineapple
Praline
Raspberry
Strawberry
Strawberry Cream Cheese
That’s a lot of flavors, and even more exist. Pick a flavor, and someone makes and sells that flavored King Cake!
I conducted an unscientific poll among my facebook, twitter, myspace, and nola.com Mardi Gras forum ‘friends’. The overwhelming choice of most for the best King Cake in the metro area is Haydel’s Bakery first and Randazzo’s second.
In the Christian faith, the coming of the wise men bearing gifts to the Christ Child is celebrated twelve days after Christmas. This is known as the Feast of the Epiphany or Little Christmas on the Twelfth Night. This is a time of celebration, exchanging gifts and feasting. Today, the tradition continues as people all over the world gather for festive Twelfth Night celebrations. A popular custom was and still is the baking of a special cake in honor of the three kings called a King’s Cake. In these early cakes, a pea, coin or bean was hidden inside the cake. Now, King Cakes contain a tiny plastic ‘baby’. The person whose piece contains the baby has to throw the next King Cake party. King Cake parties are enjoyed by the young and old all over the region and the world via the internet.
My Little Mardi Gras Blog Merges with Carnivalneworleans.com
016 years
Holy Moly!! My little Mardi Gras blog, started as a labor of love to express my love of Carnival, has joined the ranks of the big Mardi Gras web players. Icorp.net’s Carnivalneworleans.com had 200 million visitors over the last decade. Google ‘Carnival New Orleans’ or ‘New Orleans Carnival’, and carnivalneworleans.com comes up a least twice in the top 10 rankings. That brings the Mardi Gras loving hordes to carnivalneworleans.com every season.
Carnivalneworleans.com has always been a static site, featuring an elaborate History of Mardi Gras and loads of photos from Mardi Gras past. The photos cover the Mardi Gras spectrum from the bawdy French Quarter to the Barkus dog parade, also in the French Quarter. The content has successfully drawn hordes of visitors, as it is the kind of information that any Mardi Gras enthusiast can use and enjoy.
Domainer Mardi Gras Announces Dates & New Location for Their 2010 New Orleans Conference
016 years
After a successful debut this past February, organizers of the Domainer Mardi Gras conference announced today that they will be back in the Big Easy for round two in 2010. The show will run February 11-13, at the New Orleans Marriott Hotel on Canal Street in the French Quarter, just steps from Bourbon Street. The Marriott is a new venue, replacing the Westin Canal Place. The conference secured an exceptionally low room rate for Mardi Gras season at the Marriott – just $179 a night.
The show will conclude three days before Fat Tuesday (February 16), which is the final day of Mardi Gras festivities that run for approximately two weeks with dozens of nightly parades highlighting the celebration.
The Executive Director of Domainer Mardi Gras, Michael Ward, said “Domainers stated that the inaugural show (2009) was a hit and wanted to see it happen again. We listened and are moving forward with putting together a larger than life domainer extravaganza. In addition to quality industry panel sessions, and plenty of networking opportunities, Domainer Mardi Gras will also provide over the top entertainment, all during Mardi Gras, that combined will make for an unbelievable experience.”
Domainers, publishers, registries, registrars, investors, domain parking companies, members from the ICANN community and others are all invited to attend the event. The theme and agenda for Domainer will be announced in the coming weeks.
Carnival Parade Krewes Move to Avoid Super Bowl
016 years
by NewOrleansMusicMan
in Mardi Gras
From WDSU.com
More Carnival Parades Move To Avoid Super Bowl
Alla Moves To Saturday; Carrollton, King Arthur Roll Early
NEW ORLEANS — More Carnival krewes are making changes to their plans for Super Bowl Sunday, with parades moving dates and times to avoid rolling during the big game.
WDSU has learned that Alla will move its parade from Sunday, Feb. 7, to Saturday, Feb. 6, and will follow the Choctaw and Adonis parades on the Westbank.
In addition, the Carrollton and King Arthur parades schedule to roll uptown that Sunday will start one hour earlier — beginning at 11 a.m. — to accommodate the Super Bowl.
These are the latest changes caused by football’s biggest game, which is looking more and more like it may include the New Orleans Saints.
Jefferson Parish’s “Family Gras” event, which was scheduled for that entire weekend, has been canceled for this year. The krewe of Rhea canceled its parade because of the game, and Centurions moved its parade to the Friday before Mardi Gras.
Carnival Krewes uphappy with Nagin's Parade Stand Cuts
016 years
by NewOrleansMusicMan
in Mardi Gras
Carnival krewes take offense to Nagin cutting Mardi Gras parade stands
by Dominic Massa / Eyewitness News
NEW ORLEANS – Mayor Ray Nagin’s decision to cancel the construction of reviewing stands for the parades is not sitting well with some Carnival krewes.
The reviewing stands at Gallier Hall would be among the casualties of the mayor’s cutbacks, which he announced last week, saying the budget passed by the City Council left him no choice.
Many Carnival krewes toast their royalty at Gallier Hall, and the captain of at least one parading organization said the decision not to build the stands is “a low point in diplomacy for the city’s relationship with Carnival.”
The captain of Sparta, who by tradition is masked, said his krewe is having to make plans for another spot to toast the queen and court.
“Mardi Gras does not ask from this city. We give to this city. We take back very little,” said Sparta’s captain. “And certainly we feel that the erecting of these very traditional stands is a very small gift that the city can give back to Carnival to say thank you for all that we feel we do for the city.”
Sparta’s captain said he was also insulted to receive an invitation to the mayor’s traditional king cake party to celebrate the Carnival kickoff on Jan. 6. He said he’s heard from several krewe captains who say they will decline the invitation.