Parade will celebrate Mardi Gras

By Isabelle Zhu/ reporter

NE Campus will host a Mardi Gras parade Feb. 28 across the campus starting in the parking lot behind NFAB.
Collegian file photos

Fat Tuesday is coming to NE Campus Feb. 28.

A parade of music, brightly colored floats and beads will celebrate Mardi Gras throughout the campus.

Drama associate professor Stephen Thomas created the idea of an on-campus Mardi Gras parade four years ago.

“I was doing a Shakespeare play that was set in New Orleans,” he said. “I thought that would be fun, so we did it. In South Louisiana, we celebrate the most in the United States, so everybody have fun with it.”

Jakie Cabe, another drama associate professor who went to Louisiana State University with Thomas, will also help coordinate the parade.

“Beads are a big part of it,” he said.

NE student Demitrius Singh will go back to Louisiana to celebrate the Mardi Gras this month.

“I remembered that we were standing around and watching floats, people were drinking,” he said. “It was a really good experience.”

The point of Mardi Gras is that it is the last chance for people to drink a lot, eat a lot and party a lot. Then they will go to church the next morning for the Ash Wednesday service that starts Lent.

“So you get out all your craziness out and begin Lent,” Cabe said. “Some people will give up something for Lent.”

In New Orleans, krewes are different organizations or groups of people responsible for part of the Mardi Gras parade. The members of the krewes are on the floats.

Mardi Gras is the celebration that occurs before the start of Lent.

“Our krewes are going to be clubs, student organization clubs, classes and departments,” Cabe said. “The floats can be anything — a trailer, truck, or you all want to bring your bikes and ride your bikes. We just march through the campus to celebrate, and the jazz band will come and march with us.”

They will bring another purpose to the parade.

“The reason we put it on is to promote our play that’s coming up,” Thomas said. “Mardi Gras will be the day before our play starts.”

The play Hamlet will start the day after Mardi Gras, and Cabe will play the role of Hamlet’s father in the form of a ghost.

“That would be a good way to advertise and get an idea about what your audiences are going to be,” NE student Heather Howell said.

People don’t have to be Christians to have fun during Mardi Gras.

“Any student group, faculty group or any organization is welcome to be a part of it,” Thomas said.

Students can contact Cabe at jacob.cabe@tccd.edu or 817-515-6181 to join the party.