Mardi Gras in New Orleans will look quite a bit different in 2022. As the parades look to make their return after a COVID-induced hiatus, they’re faced with a new obstacle: a shortage of police officers to keep the many different parade routes safe.
Because of the worker shortage, Mayor LaToya Cantrell and NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson announced a plan for route consolidation on Tuesday, but one krewe in particular was left with a measure of disappointment, and not just for tradition’s sake.
The Krewe of Thoth rides a unique route every Carnival season, one that takes it past Children’s Hospital so that the kids convalescing within its walls can have a bit of enjoyment just like the rest of the city simply by looking out their windows.
The Mayor’s plan for route consolidation eliminates that possibility for 2022.
In a statement, Krewe of Thoth spokesperson Penny Larsen said the group feels they were snubbed, along with the sick kids they bring enjoyment to.
“The Krewe of Thoth is very disappointed with the City of New Orleans that they would not give our route serious consideration since it passes Children’s Hospital and many Uptown facilities where we have brought a touch of Mardi Gras since 1947,” the statement reads. “Thoth was never thought of in this decision as other Clubs were and it is a shame that these Facilities and the people and businesses in Uptown New Orleans will suffer in this decision.”
During an appearance on WWL Radio, Mardi Gras expert and historian Arthur Hardy called Thoth’s route change the “biggest loss” in the 2022 plan.
“Understandably, they’re not happy, not just for themselves but for all the groups that they brought Mardi Gras to,” Hardy said. “You know, they’re known as the ‘Krewe of the Shut-Ins,’ and these people can’t go to Mardi Gras other than the Thoth.”
Hardy was asked if there could be an opportunity to revisit the issue.
“I don’t think so, but who knows?” Hardy said. “Mardi Gras in New Orleans, you can’t ever tell what’s going to happen.”
According to the current plan, all parades which start on the riverside of Napoleon Ave., Jefferson Ave. and Magazine St., Tchoupitoulas St. and Henry Clay St. – the group that includes Thoth – will this year form at Napoleon Avenue and Prytania Street.
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