Recently, we became aware of the Krewe of Boo Parade in the French Quarter; so, we thought it would definitely be worth a visit. New Orleans and the French Quarter are places you can visit over and over again as there are always different activities going on at any time.
What is the Krewe of Boo Parade?
The Krewe of Boo parade was intended as a fundraiser for Katrina in 2007 and was successful. After a few years passed without a Halloween parade, local New Orleanians felt its absence and it was brought back by unanimous consent in 2013, spearheaded by Blaine Kern, Sr of Marti Gras World, maker of and instrumental in the beautiful floats that grace the parades in New Orleans. It was Blaine’s son Brian who took the reign of the Krewe of Boo parade.
Basin St Visitor Center
When we first come into New Orleans, our first stop is generally the Basin St Visitor Center. This is a great place to find out about events, parades, and parade routes, and is part of the route for the Hop On Hop Off bus. Since we were so early for the parade, we opted to take the bus tour and enjoy seeing New Orleans points of interest and listening to our guide, who was very informative about the history, culture, shops and restaurants.
After the bus tour, we drove down to the river front area, which has many different attractions. We enjoy walking over to Jackson Square, which generally always has something going on, from artists, to street performers and more.
After visiting Jackson’s Square, we walked to the river front to watch the ships passing through, another one of our favorite things to do. We ate lunch at Gumbo Ya Ya’s, a nice restaurant close to the river front, and perused the items for sale at the French Market, where Rich purchased a mask to wear while we watched the Krewe of Boo parade.
When we were getting close to the time of the Krewe of Boo parade, since we had parked downtown and the parade route ran in front of Gumbo Ya Ya’s, we just walked a little way and found a good spot to watch the parade.
There was a festive atmosphere stirring as visitors watched and enjoyed the Krewe of Boo parade. The costumes and floats were amazing and beautiful, invoking a feeling of excitement as those of us watching the parade tried to catch beads, cups, and other items with a Halloween theme as a remembrance of the parade.
If you have never experienced the Krewe of Boo parade, it is a fun event. If you love adventure and exploring new things, we would like to encourage you to add this parade to your bucket list.