Krewe of Proteus

Parade krewe at New Orleans Mardi Gras

New Orleans, LA.

Websitekreweofproteus.com

The Krewe of Proteus (KoP) is a New Orleans Carnival Krewe founded in 1882, the oldest continuously parading Old Line Krewe.

History and formation

The Krewe of Proteus is the longest riding Old Line Night Parade Krewe in New Orleans Carnival after the Mistick Krewe and the Knights of Momus, stopped parading in 1992.^[1]^[2]^[3] The parade of the krewe of Proteus traditionally travels an Uptown or St. Charles route ending on Canal Street. Parade floats still use original chassis from the early 1880s. Proteus is an offshoot of Mistick Krewe, and Knights of Momus - formed because the Mistick Krewe's waiting list was too long. Supposedly the Captain of the Mistick Krewe made the suggestion to form Proteus, as it was taking even too long for younger men of Comus families to get into Knights of Momus.^[4]

In 1991 the New Orleans City Council, led by Democrat Dorothy Mae Taylor, passed an ordinance that required social organizations, including Mardi Gras Krewes, to certify publicly that they did not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender, disability, or sexual orientation, in order to obtain parade permits and other public licensure.^[5]^[6] The Proteus organization (along with Momus and Comus, other 19th-century Krewes) withdrew from parading, rather than racially integrating. Two federal courts later decided that the ordinance was an unconstitutional infringement on First Amendment rights of free association and an unwarranted intrusion into the privacy of the groups subject to the ordinance.^[7]^[5]^[8] Proteus returned to parading in 2000.

Parade

Krewe of Proteus parades on the evening of Lundi Gras prior to the Krewe of Orpheus. The parade follows the uptown route for parades starting at Napoleon Avenue and Magazine Street; proceed north to St. Charles; proceed east on St. Charles to Lee Circle continuing on St. Charles to Canal Street. Krewe of Proteus utilize flambeaux to light the parade route.

Parade themes

The Krewe of Proteus keep the season parade and ball theme secret until Lundi Gras.

2024 Commedia dell Arte

2023 Kālevālā Lore of Finland

2022 Divine Tricksters

2021 No Parade due to COVID-19

2020 Feasts and Libations

2019 Travels and Treasures of the Silk Road

2018 Les Grâces des dieux pour la Nouvelle-Orleans

2017 Der Ring Des Nibelungen

2016 The Hindu Heavens

2015 Nature of the Beasts

2014 Ancient Elements of Alchemy

2013 The Unseen New Orleans Carnival

2012 Mythologica Aquatica

2011 The Prophetic Old Man of the Sea

2010 The Mythology of Astrology

2009 Mabinogion: The Romance of Wales

2008 Realms of Enchantment

2007 Legends and Lore of the Deep

2006 Proteus Through the Years

2005 Fables Famous and Familiar

1999 No Parade

1998 No Parade

1997 No Parade

1996 No Parade

1995 No Parade

1994 No Parade

1993 No Parade

1988 Famous Firsts

1986 Notable Notes from New Orleans

1984 The Sun King

1983 Valentine Voyages

1982 Water Courses of the Continents

1981 Centennial Anniversary

1978 Creatures and Curious Cliches

1977 World in Our Garden

1967 Treasures of the Earth and Sea

1936 Don Quixote de la Mancha

1935 Irish Fairy Tales

1932 American Poet Lore

1929 The Adventures of Hajji Baba

1927 Famous Heroes and Heroines of History and Legend

1926 The Fair God

1925 Tales and Romance of Old Japan

1924 Netar-Tua

1923 Myths and Legends of North American Indians

1922 The Romance of the Rose

1907 The Queen of Serpents

1905 The Rubiyat

1904 The Alphabet

1903 Cleopatra

1902 Flora's Feast

1901 Al-Kyris the Magnificent

1900 Tales of Childhood

1899 E. Pluribus Unum

1898 A Trip to Wonderland

1897 Orlando Furioso

1896 Dumb Society

1895 Asgard and the Gods

1894 Sháh Námeh, The Epic of the Kings

1893 Kalevala

1892 A Dream of the Vegetable Kingdom

1891 Tales of the Genii

1889 The Hindoo Heavens

1888 Legends of the Middle Ages

1887 Andersen's Fairy Tales

1886 Visions of Other Worlds

1885 Myths and Worships of China

1884 The Aeneid

1882 Ancient Egyptian Mythology

Gallery

Floats and costumes

Elfland 1890
Elves of Dance 1890
Anubis 1882
Apis 1882
Assuri 1885
Uranus 1886
May Pole 1887
Bayard escapes from Mount Vulcanus 1888
Fire Sprite 1889
Water Nymph 1889
Elves of Dreams 1890
Elfland 1890
Pink Butterfly Elf 1890
1892
Aarini, God of Hidden Treasures 1893
Birth of the harp Wainamoinen wisdom singer 1893
Child of Hisi 1893
Denizen of Ahtola 1893
Fountain of Urd The Norns 1895
Shrimp 1896
Frog Prince 1900
Wikstorm 1906
Wikstorm Monsters 1907
Fishman Costume 1907

Invitation

1882
1883
1886
1888
Dance Card 1891
1895
1896
1897 Admittance Card
1899 side 1
1899 side 2
Krewe of Proteus Invitation 1900
1907
1907 Dance Card
1923
1932

Bulletin

A Dream of the Vegetable King 1892
Dumb Society 1896
The Romance of the Rose 1922
Myth & Legends of North American Indians 1923

Program

1884
1974

References

^ "Krewe of Proteus Home Page". bachigraphics.com. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
^ New Orleans (City Travel Guide). Lonely Planet. 2012. p. 47. ISBN 978-1741048339.
^ "FindLaw's United States Fifth Circuit case and opinions".
^ New Orleans Carnival Balls: The Secret Side of Mardi Gras, 1870-1920, Jennifer Atkins, LSU Press, Sep 13, 2017
^ ^a ^b "1857: Mistick Krewe of Comus was first modern Mardi Gras organization in New Orleans". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. 23 August 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
^ Rothman, Lily (17 February 2015). "How Mardi Gras became a party for everyone". Time. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
^ Louisiana Debating and Literary Association et. al. v New Orleans, 42 F.3d 1483.
^ "Things You May Not Know About Mardi Gras," Abbeville Meridional, February 4, 2018, image 11