Krewe of Bacchus
The first super krewe, which changed Carnival by crowning a celebrity king every year.
- Usual slot
- Sunday before Mardi Gras, evening
- Usual start
- about 5:15 p.m. (check the year's schedule)
- Route
- Uptown St. Charles route, ending at the Convention Center
- Founded
- 1968; first parade 1969
- Signature throws
- Bacchus doubloons and beads; signature floats Bacchasaurus, Bacchagator and Bacchawhoppa
- Official site
- www.kreweofbacchus.org
History
Bacchus was founded in 1968 by Owen Brennan Jr. and others who wanted a bigger, more open parade than the old-line krewes. Its first king, in 1969, was the entertainer Danny Kaye, and a celebrity has reigned almost every year since.
The one exception proves the point: in 1981 the krewe crowned Sgt. John McKeel Jr., one of the Americans just freed from the hostage crisis in Iran.
Bacchus's huge signature floats, among them the Bacchasaurus, Bacchagator and Bacchawhoppa, set the pattern the other super krewes followed.
If the usual slot holds Usual pattern, not announced
Usual slot: Sunday before Mardi Gras, evening. Tied to Fat Tuesday, that slot gives these dates. They are projections, not a schedule: confirm on the krewe's site or the city's Mardi Gras page before you travel.
| Carnival | Usual-slot date | Fat Tuesday |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Sun 15 Feb | Tue 17 Feb |
| 2027 | Sun 7 Feb | Tue 9 Feb |
| 2028 | Sun 27 Feb | Tue 29 Feb |
| 2029 | Sun 11 Feb | Tue 13 Feb |
| 2030 | Sun 3 Mar | Tue 5 Mar |
| 2031 | Sun 23 Feb | Tue 25 Feb |
| 2032 | Sun 8 Feb | Tue 10 Feb |
| 2033 | Sun 27 Feb | Tue 1 Mar |
| 2034 | Sun 19 Feb | Tue 21 Feb |
| 2035 | Sun 4 Feb | Tue 6 Feb |
Recent parades: 2025: 2 Mar 2025; 2026: 15 Feb 2026 (published city schedules). Both fell exactly on the usual slot.
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krewe_of_Bacchus (founding; celebrity kings; 1981 king; signature floats; checked 2026-10-26)
History written for this site from the sources above. Parade dates for 2025 and 2026 from published city schedules.