City of New Orleans officials say Mardi Gras parades this year will remain on their usual routes, despite earlier talk of moving them all to the Uptown route.
According to our partners at NOLA.com, New Orleans Chief Administrative Officer Gilbert Montaño said moving all parades to St. Charles Ave. was considered in the wake of the New Year's Day terrorist mass-murder on Bourbon St., but ultimately, it was decided that doing so would not make a significant difference in safety.
Parades such as Endymion, which is the only krewe left on the traditional Mid City route; NOMTOC, which parades in Algiers; and Thoth and Zulu, which have unique starting points before reaching St. Charles, will remain on their traditional routes.
Mardi Gras 2025 has, for the first time, a level one Special Event Assessment Rating. That's a designation from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that brings the highest level of federal cooperation. It is the same security assessment the Super Bowl has received ever since the terror attacks of September 11, 2001.
The first Super Bowl played after 9/11 was Super Bowl XXXVI, at the Superdome.