It’s officially OK to eat King Cake now that January 6th has arrived. That date marks three significant moments in New Orleans: Twelfth Night, the Epiphany and the start of Carnival season.
Today, at the studios at Mardi Gras World, New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell led a caravan of city and Carnival officials to officially mark the beginning of Carnival. The weeks that will follow have always been filled with tradition. Certain Krewes parade on certain routes and days. People will cling to their particular bakeries for King Cake.
Then you have individual traditions which can vary from house to house. Since the pandemic, actual houses are becoming a part of Mardi Gras tradition.
Coco and Ian Darrow and their team at Stronghold Studios are busy during this time of year.
That wasn’t always the case before the pandemic. Their longevity was definitely less certain during COVID’s initial impact. When all the major events that have long made New Orleans famous were canceled because of COVID-19, it pushed an entire community of artists, vendors and seasonal workers into a state of limbo. No Jazz Fest, no Mardi Gras, no French Quarter Fest meant no work for thousands of locals.
When Mardi Gras was canceled in 2021, Stronghold Studios was part of an experiment of sorts. To help keep its workers, and itself afloat, the commercial art studio began decorating various homes around the metro area in Carnival colors, characters and themes.
With no Carnival floats rolling on the streets that year, the homes vibrantly decorated by Stronghold Studios and other artists became “house floats”. Now in their third year, have house floats become a permanent part of this thing we call Carnival season in New Orleans? Listen to the city’s kickoff to Carnival and the continuing phenomenon of the house floats: