News and information from the New Orleans area
Posts tagged Knights of Sparta
Tickets to Intercontinental Hotel Stands on Sale for Mardi Gras 2011
014 years
| Stands are raised tier platform type with no seating. No reserved spots – first come first serve basis. No refunds rain or shine. No ice chests, chairs, strollers or smoking allowed on stands. Hotel Management reserves the right to remove anyone from the Stands. All children under 12 to be accompanied by an adult at all times. Opening times for Stands may vary dependent upon parade delays.
Krewe of Oshun Krewe of Pontchartrain, Knights of Sparta & Krewe of Pygmalion Krewe of Pontchartrain – single parade Knights of Sparta & Krewe of Pygmalion – only
Krewe of Carrollton & Krewe of King Arthur Krewe of Babylon, Knights of Chaos & Krewe of Muses Krewe of Hermes, Le Krewe d’Etat & Krewe of Morpheus Krewe of Iris & Krewe of Tucks only Krewe of Endymion only Mardi Gras Parade Package Saturday Day & Night Parades Krewe of Okeanos, Krewe of Thoth & Krewe of Mid-City only Krewe of Bacchus only Mardi Gras Parade Package Sunday Day & Night Parades Krewe of Proteus & Krewe of Orpheus Mardi Gras Day: Krewe of Rex, Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club, Krewe of Elks & Krewe of Crescent City Mardi Gras Day Buffet |
WDSU Parade Tracker System Review
015 years
I’m a big fan of this parade tracker system, when you want to find the start of a parade that’s rolling or a parade stops for some reason. How does the system operate? WDSU puts a car near the front of the parades they cover. The car uses the GPS tracking system to pin point where the tracking car is, and relays that information to a computer, which texts that info to all opt in phones. The system is a bit intrusive when you are already at a parade, catching throws and enjoying the sights and sounds of of the event. You constantly receive parade updates on your phone, when you don’t need them, as you are already parading. You could always opt out when at parade, and opt back in when you are searching for a parade on the street. However you might think this is a bit much opting in and out.
To get Parade Tracker updates on your mobile phone, text “follow parades” to 40404. This is the second year for this service. If you opted in last year, you were automatically opted in for this year. For some parades, you can track the parade’s progress on WDSU.com, via a special map. The markers on the map show the location of the lead float in the parade, and they update every 10 seconds or 20 feet.
The biggest flaw in the system is they skip parades! Babylon had to switch days because of bad weather. Could parade tracker keep up with parade rescheduling? NO. No parade tracking for Babylon. Earlier in the Carnival season, when some of the smaller parades roll, parade tracker opted not to cover the earlier parades.
Among the Orleans parades that WDSU opted not to track were Sparta and Ponchartrain.
My thoughts on the inconsistent tracking is that if you are going to offer a parade tracking system, you should cover all the parades in an area.
What Happened to Sparta??
015 years
Sparta Crest in Tiles at Mardi Gras Fountain
Saw Sparta last night on St. Charles Avenue. It was a cold and windy night, and I was counting on warming myself up at the Lighting of the Flambeaux that DIDN’T take place last night.
Flambeaux Lighting 2009 photo by neworleansmusicman
Where were the flambeaux? Where was the lighting?
What’s up with Sparta? Inquiring Mardi Gras Bloggers want to know….
After the first few traditional floats, such as the Captain’s Float, the floats were attractive but they didn’t have the usual old time look and there were fewer bands. The whole parade passed in well under one hour, which is remarkably fast for any parade down St. Charles Avenue, even Sparta, which always hurtles down the Avenue.
Here’s a passage from the official web site for the Knights of Sparta
A spectacular signature float, a mule-drawn king’s float, traditional flambeaux, and mounted officers are just a few of the wonderful features of the Knights of Sparta street parade each year.
Photo by David Gladow
Alice in Wonderland Float, Knights of Sparta 2010