Rex Parade

The Rex parade is more than just beads and throws—it is a carefully curated spectacle, a moving tableau that plays out on the streets of New Orleans every Mardi Gras. While revelers shout and bands march, an elaborate pageant unfolds, showcasing a different artistic theme each year.

Rex parade – a rolling Work of art

“What I see is an art form,” says Dr. Stephen Hales, archivist and historian emeritus for the Krewe of Rex. He describes Rex as a rolling tableau. “What Rex did was put those scenes on wagons, a rolling tableau illustrating the theme each year,” Hales explains.

Float designs from the 1883 Rex Parade

a tradition rooted in history

The Rex Den, a warehouse in New Orleans, holds a treasure trove of history—photographs, posters, and artifacts from past parades dating back more than a century. One striking image is a poster from the 1883 Rex parade, depicting extravagant float designs. Another is a panoramic black-and-white photograph from 1923, taken on Canal Street, showing grand floats surrounded by well-dressed crowds. “They’ve got top hats on and they’re dressed to the nines,” Hales says, pointing out how different the early parades were. Another key difference? “No hands are up,” he notes, explaining that, in the early days, parades didn’t include throws. Instead, people came from all over the world to admire what he calls “beautiful rolling works of art.”

Rex floats featured on tv

The art of the 2025 Rex parade

For 2025, the Rex parade will bring to life the theme “La Belle Époque”, inspired by the golden age of Paris from the late 19th century through the start of World War I. Rex’s artistic director, Caroline Thomas, pitched the idea, drawing inspiration from the explosion of creativity in the era. “This is when you had Van Gogh and the Impressionists, and Moulin Rouge and absinthe, and this kind of time like Bohemia,” Thomas explains.

The 2025 floats will depict advancements in art, technology, and science from this influential period. Thomas balances staying true to the traditions of Rex, the King of Carnival, while ensuring the designs remain fresh. “Traditions have to evolve, or they can become kind of brittle and dry or lose the interest of the public,” she says.

The parade includes 20 newly designed floats, some still built on antique wagon carriages, along with seven traditional floats that return each year—such as the King’s Float and the popular Boeuf Gras, which features riders dressed as cooks preparing for the feast of Fat Tuesday.

Short-lived display of art

Yet, as magnificent as the floats are, they are fleeting. “We work all year on them for them to roll for a couple of hours, and then we destroy everything,” Thomas says. But she sees meaning in the short-lived display.. “I think it’s what makes it so meaningful and kind of sacred.”

So, while you reach for beads along St. Charles Avenue and Canal Street, take a moment to admire the artistry. The Rex parade is a one-time-only show—a masterpiece that lasts only for a few magical hours before it disappears forever.

2025 rex parade

The 2025 Rex Parade begins at 10:30am on Mardi Gras, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. It will follow the traditional route, beginning on Napoleon Ave at St. Charles, moving down St. Charles to Canal Street and then turning right to its ending point at Tchoupitoulas Street.