Rex King of Carnival – Parade

My kids enjoyed the parade yesterday. Our goal was to collect the signature beads per float since my daughter works on Rex projects for her school. She worked on the Elysian Fields one this year. We were able to get 21 of them, some of the floats simply moved too fast. Good choice in bands and entertainment. We are eagerly anticipating next years parade!

What gets better than the King of Carnival on Mardi Gras Day?!?
Though rain has dampened the crowd for the recent two years, the jublilent spirit of the crowd remains the same.
Each of Rex’s floats has special and unique throws, which serve as rewards for the faithful.
Outside of hoopla of Mardi Gras day, the benevolent focus of the Krewe, the Pro Bono Publico Foundation, has donated millions of dollars and time to local public schools and organizations.
All Hail Rex!

My first time in years going to Rex. Grew up watching it almost every year. Took off the last several years due to crowd congestion and pandemonium.
Fun Parade… This year was great. Loved the Theme of «Wars» they used this year.
I’m not sure if it was the spot we were at… or just the fact that the signature throws are soo intricate, but catching anything was few and far between this year. The items we got and others around us were great. The S/​O even made her own Mardi Gras wreath with some of the things we have managed to get.
Soo…next year I’ll be back… Gotta love the king of carnival.

Rex is the rightful King of Mardi Gras!
My first attempt to see Rex was in 2014. I waited after Zulu in the freezing cold rain for what seemed like forever, but it seemed that someone or something had broken down and Rex was not coming for another forever. The weather, combined with my recent bout with strep throat, convinced me to pack it in. It was a sad, sad day for all (well, mostly me, because I was too sick and cold to see Rex).
Fast forward to 2015 and my body has mercifully waited to come down with a cold until after Mardi Gras day, and nature has blessed us with only freezing temperatures and not rain. A recipe for success if you’ve ever seen one!
The pomp and circumstance, the fanfare, and the wait, are well worth it. Getting to see these classic floats was so awesome. I know some of my fellow Unilocalers were not thrilled with the theme this year (Early Wars in American History, I think), but I thought it was kind of cute in a weird-​history-​nerd kind of way. Made me reminisce back to AP US History from 100 years ago.
I love that Rex has an individualized throw for each float, and that they are SO generous with their throws! I got beads from about 75% of the floats and cups from a couple as well. It was so fun to see all of the individual pendants for each float!
I really loved Rex and can’t wait to make it a usual stop in the future!

It’s a nostalgic parade but it looks tired. The floats are average considering it represents the King of Carnival. Throws are not as abundant as Bacchus or Endymion but are unique in that each float has different throws. Good luck getting one from each float. Following Zulu its almost anti-​climatic as the energy levels seem to dwindle. If you spend the 4 – 5 hours waiting for Rex to see the king you will not be disappointed, cold maybe but not disappointed.

I didn’t know I could rate a parade until I saw Erin do it… so now I’m copying her! This was my first Mardi Gras and I was disappointed in all the parades — except Rex. The floats were beautiful, the people were fun, the marchers marched and dancers danced even through the rain and the cold and best of all the throws were plentiful — even at the end of the parade. I stayed for the whole parade even though I was standing in a puddle and was an icicle at the end of it. I have a huge collection of substantial nice throws and had a lot of fun in the process. Thanks!

It is difficult for me to rate this parade, seeing as I didn’t stay for all of it and my state of being was affected by the cold and rain, but I will give it a go anyway.
The floats were beautiful as always. They were going by at a greater rate of speed than usual, but that is to be expected on the 2^nd coldest mardi gras in history. The king’s spirits were high as he toasted the mayor (and later his queen, as I saw via TV). The riders also looked cheerful and were generous with their bead offerings to those who had chosen to brave the weather.
I am looking forward to updating my review next year when I will hopefully have enough warmth and feeling in my fingers to attempt to catch any more throws.

Last week I got to tour the Rex Den as a fundraiser for the State Museum friends group. So I got a preview of the 2014 floats (see the most recent 3 photos). It was so fun to stroll around and check out all the details of the floats without worrying about being run over or dodging beads or other parade goers.
As usual they are going with a classical theme of gods & goddesses and some of the floats are just gorgeous. It was also fun to stand underneath the Boeuf Gras and imagine him snorting down on me.
As part of the tour, we were also able to view the robing room which features photos of Rex, gone by, and collections of archived scepters, crowns, costumes, etc.
I’m so glad that I was able to wander through and get a preview. Can’t wait for March 4^th.

Today is a little day at LOC we like to call Freaky Freaking-​Out Day. We are literally shaking in our rain boots due to the fact that we couldn’t be more excited that we’re six hours away from embarking on a celebration that won’t end until Wednesday morning. Seriously. Freaking-​Out.
But right now isn’t about us. It’s about you.
It’s parade time.
So, you’ve got your purple, green and gold on. You’ve got the ice chest packed. You’ve already picked up the Popeye’s family pack. Now comes the biggest decision of all: Which parade should I go see?
While all the parades are worth a watch, not all krewes were created equal. The not so humble opinions of our Carnival vets’ mixed in with the fresh-​eyed opinions of our newer New Orleanians has resulted in a list of the 10 best parades that’ll roll in the next six days.
Take notice that all these parades roll through uptown (although they all start, end and wind through the city on their own routes). Therefore, if you don’t plan on tracking each parade individually, plan on setting up shop on St. Charles between Louisiana and Napoleon to catch them all.
(Due to space limitations, Unilocal wouldn’t let us post the all 10 descriptions of our top 10 so only the article + 1 description of each top ten parade is posted under its respective review page. Also we know we have a 1 – 10 ranking system, but we’re giving them all 5 stars. Because anything Mardi Gras related receives 5 stars, regardless.)
10) Proteus — (Monday, 5:15pm)
9) Mid-​City — (Sunday, 11:45am)
8) Rex — (Tuesday, 10:00am) Rex is King of Mardi Gras. And that is the only reason that this krewe makes the list. I know, it’s blasphemy to insult the mighty Rex, but it just isn’t the best. However, we’ll still pay homage as Rex is one of the most classic and influential parades of Mardi Gras. It’s credited with invention of the doubloon, carnivals’ colors of purple, green and gold, and Mardi Gras’ anthem. So yes we rather be bowing due to getting Smirnoff «Iced» on the parade route, yet we gladly will bow down to the all mighty King of Rex.
7) Toth — (Sunday, 12:00pm)
6) d’Etat — (Friday 6:30pm)
5) Orpheus (Monday, 6pm)
4) Tucks (Sunday, 12pm)
3) Zulu (Tuesday, 8am)
2) Bacchus (Sunday, 5:15, Uptown)
1) Endymion (Saturday, 4:15pm)
«Laissez les bon temps rouler»
— The Freaky Freaking LOCers

I actually lost a job for telling my employer that it is against my religion to work during Rex. I don’t regret that, either.
The crowning glory of my Mardi Gras experience is the Rex parade. My first memories of Mardi Gras all center around Rex, and my continued interest in Mardi Gras is tied first and foremost to Rex. This parade matters.
Not to be all Wikipedia on you, but I need to explain the history of this parade to be fully satisfied with this review: Rex started parading in 1872. Their ultimate goal? To get more tourists to visit New Orleans after the War of Northern Aggression. (I think it worked.) The head of Rex (monikered «Rex») is THE king of all Carnival. This special post is revealed the day before the parade with great fanfare. If you want to know who the most important person in the city is on Fat Tuesday, go see Rex. If you want to party with the greats, get a ticket to the Rex ball.
I have a great respect for tradition, and the pageantry of this organization is second to none. The huge floats lumbering by the stately oaks of St. Charles Avenue are a sight to behold, and they define my childhood.
All the Krewes have special throws, but Rex beads are known the world over for their style. (I have a set for every year since I was born. Can we say «nerd» y’all?)
Compared to the party parades (mostly the night parades) this is a sedate experience, but Rex is considered family friendly for a reason. I welcome sharing my catches with the kids who come out to see the King.

By far the most beautiful of the day time parades, this crowning jewel of Carnival season has such a rich history and dearth of culture it is impossible to not appreciate it. The School of Design really does a service that is truly Pro Bono Publico. Plus, who doesn’t love the Boeuf Gras.