New Orleans kicks off Carnival season with colorful parades

Описание: (7 Jan 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
New Orleans - 6 January 2026
1. Mid of police motorcycles leading the New Orleans Carnival parade
2. Various of parade, including floats and marching bands,
3. Mid of a group singing "Pink Pony Club"
4. Mid of people watching the parade from a balcony
5. Various of parade participants handing out trinkets to the crowd
6. Various of parade
STORYLINE:
New Orleans kicked off the Carnival season Tuesday with parades marking the start of weeks of celebrations.

The pre-Lenten period of festivities, which will last 43 days this year and concludes with Mardi Gras, is complete with fancy balls, massive parades, decadent king cake and costumed revelry. The celebration is rooted in Christian and Roman Catholic traditions. It’s marked by feasting, drinking and revelry before Ash Wednesday and the fasting associated with Lent, the Christian season of preparation for Easter.

Police motorcycles led the way as crowds lined the streets. Marching bands and floats followed, bringing music, color, and energy to the city.

Throughout the parade, police maintained a visible presence.

New Orleans ended 2025 with its third year of declining violent crime rates even as armed National Guard troops patrolled the city's streets on the orders of President Donald Trump.

New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick touted a significant decrease in murders, armed robberies, shootings and carjackings since 2022.

The armed National Guard troops have been deployed around the city's historic French Quarter for about a week.

AP Video by Stephen Smith

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