Mardi Gras Indians will take to the streets this Sunday morning for the annual Super Sunday celebration. The gathering begins at 11 am at A.L. Davis Park in Central City, and the parade begins at 1 pm.
Creole Wild West Big Chief and New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian Council President Howard Miller will preside over the gathering and parade, which will begin at Washington Avenue and LaSalle Street, move onto Simon Bolivar Avenue, turn left onto Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, left onto Claiborne Avenue, left onto Washington Avenue, and back to A.L. Davis Park on Washington and LaSalle.
Photo by Kim Welsh.
Miller said he expects a large turnout this year, with all the tribes from Algiers, the Lower Ninth Ward, Gert Town, the Seventh Ward, and Central City invited to attend.
“All the tribes are invited, and we’re expecting them all to be there,” Miller said. “We’re talking about anywhere between 24 to 32 different tribes. You’re looking at possibly hundreds of Indians.”
The Creole Wild West tribe, which Miller said is the oldest Mardi Gras Indian tribe in New Orleans, will join the procession on Second and LaSalle Streets in front of their headquarters.
The Hot 8 Brass Band, the Troop Brass Band, the Stooges Brass Band, the Young Men Olympians, and the Lady Buckjumpers will all join the Indians during the parade, while there will be cultural activities and musical performances by a variety of New Orleans musical acts including Big Al Carson, the B.R.W. Singing Group, D.J. Captain Charles, Jo Cool Davis, D.J. Jubilee, and Step Up/Step Out at A.L. Davis Park.
While Mardi Gras Day 2014 turned out to be rainy and cold, Miller said he expects better weather for Super Sunday, which the Council also refers to as “Indian Sunday.” Thousands are expected to line the route, but for Miller, the most important spectators every time Indians parade are the children who will one day carry on the traditions.
“We are always excited every year seeing the people come out, the families come out, and the kids come out and enjoy what we do,” he said. “We pick up people who join in and want to be a part of what we do for the next year. We have a bunch of kids that are masking with us that have participated in making their own suits, and we hope some of them will be able to carry on for us, so yes, we’re excited.”
