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Mark your calendar: 2023 Pre-Parade Events with Krewe de Jeanne d’Arc

All our traditional events but some new venues for our 15th year.  Mark your calendars now and get your tickets! Details about each event below.

  • Thursday, Dec. 15, 7-9  p.m. Coronation party/kick-off meeting at the Degas House. Krewe-only meeting of our royalty and young Maid of Honor
  • Sunday, January 1, 9 a.m.-noon Mass at Saint Louis Cathedral, second line and jazz brunch at Market Cafe (Get your tickets!)
  • Monday, January 2, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. New Year’s Work Party, last throw pick-up and foot soldier costume pickup at St. Andrews Parish Hall
  • Thursday, January 5, 7-9:30 p.m. Pre-Parade Dinner Party at Livaudais Hall  (Get your tickets!)
  • Friday, January 6, 4:45-5:30 p.m. Line-up at 300 N. Front
  • Friday, January 6, 7 p.m. PARADE!!!!
  • Member Resources: costume guide and krewe store

Details of all events below

Thursday, Dec. 15 Coronation and Kick-Off Party at the Degas House

Kick off the season with this very special krewe-only “mandatory” party announcing our 2023 king, queen and Maid of Honor as well as other updates and important “know-before-you-go” information. Full members, group members and foot soldier volunteers are all invited to this coronation and kick-off party 7-9 p.m. This is an important moment of unity for our krewe and we really hope krewe members will do everything in their power to be part of it. 

  • FREE. The Degas House has donated their courtyard and house! Cash bar and hors d’oeuvres.
  • We’ll announce our 2023 Maid of Honor (award to a local teen leader), Queen Yolande (community award to a female business leader), and King Charles VII (award to a community leader who embodies New Orleans’ French connection). 
  • Signature throw orders will be ready for pick-up (pre-order your throws!) and on-site sale. 
  • Dress: holiday party/krewe colors of blue and gold, krewe bling (not costumes). 
  • In addition to street parking, there is a parking lot! (entrance at 1411 North Rocheblave Street, map)
  • Degas House owner David Villarubia was our first king in 2010. The Degas House, where Impressionist painter Edgar Degas lived and worked, is one of the few official French national landmarks outside of France, and David was knighted for his work on the award-winning restoration and museum. Thank you, King David, for donating this space for our party!

Sunday, January 1st: Mass, Second Line and Jazz Brunch

Join your fellow krewe members for 9 a.m. worship at Saint Louis Cathedral the Sunday before the parade. In the spirit of Joan, worship is the way to begin any important endeavor!  After mass, the Soul Heirs Band will lead us in a jam and second line 4 blocks from the Cathedral to the Joan of Arc statue, where we’ll do a jazz brunch at Market Cafe.  You can attend the mass, second line, brunch or all three, but you’ll need an advance ticket for the brunch.  Dress: second line spirit, krewe colors blue and gold, krewe gear, medieval-inspired (not costumes).

Monday, January 2: New Year’s Work Party

Most members have a reason to at least stop by this workshop, which makes it a bustling party. Full members will be picking up throws, foot soldiers will be picking up costumes, and everyone will be working on making our signature tea light throws. 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. in the Parish Hall of Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church at the corner of Carrollton and Zimple (1031 S. Carrollton, map). Enter from the side door on Zimple. Show off your own projects or bring a snack or wine to share if you like.  Delicious holiday leftovers welcome. Dress: casual.

 

Thursday, January 5: Pre-Parade Dinner at Livaudais Hall

We’ll have king cake, a hot buffet supper, medieval music and dancing, and a cash bar, 7-9:30 p.m. Caterer Jacques-Imo’s is going to make us a medieval roast pig! Livaudais Hall (LEE-vo-day) is a new venue for us, and we’re excited about the larger space and the chance to create a more medieval atmosphere with the wood interior, hung with our banners of the cities Joan liberated. The Bells and Motley band will be back again to entertain us on authentic medieval instruments and lead the dancing. We’ll also have a drum and chant performance by Skinz-N-Bonez, the bones gang that parades with us as Joan’s murderous judges. Show off your beautiful medieval costume and share a sneak preview of your throws with friends! All paraders are invited — full members, honoraries and their entourage, group members, performers, and foot soldier volunteers. Paraders may also purchase non-member tickets for your guests. Tickets are $50 for members, $10 extra for non-members. BUT after  December 25th, ticket prices will increase to $60, and after January 1, ticket prices will increase to $70, so buy your ticket now! Dress: Medieval costumes are strongly encouraged. Many krewe members (including foot soldier volunteers) wear their parade costumes.  There is ample street parking near the hall.

Thursday, January 5: Twelfth Night Yule-Carnival Transition Ceremony

At the close of the banquet at 9:30, we’ll carry lanterns out to the adjacent grotto to meet the Krewe of Krampus for the light ceremony celebrating the Twelfth Night transition from the Yule season represented by Krampus to the Carnival season represented by us. This will be our third year for the ceremony. Like us, Krampus has its roots in medieval Europe. Krampus puts on a highly artistic walking parade around Krampus night (this year their parade is Dec. 3).

FRIDAY, JANUARY 6

4:45-5:30 p.m. Parade Line-Up

Report to the corner of Bienville and Front to line up (map), costumed, ready to go, and carrying only what you plan to carry in the parade.  Foot soldiers and leaders will arrive by 4:45 p.m. to unload the props; full members should be there no later than 5:30 p.m. to roll the parade at 7 p.m. sharp.  Arrive in costume. Come early so you have time to see everything and get your photo taken. Best parking is in Premium Parking Lot P402, and we can use the restrooms inside the Jax during the line-up. 

7 p.m. Parade!!!! 

We’ll kick off Carnival season at 7 p.m. sharp, make our stops for the French Consul/Historic New Orleans Collection toasts, the sword blessing ceremony at the Cathedral, salute to the Joan of Arc statue, and the king cake ceremony at Oscar Dunn Park (sidewalk amphitheater by Cafe Du Monde). (Route and stop details)  Remember that we are a family-friendly parade and also a saint procession with a ceremony at the Cathedral.  Please hold off on the adult beverages until after the parade. We’ll be done around 8:30 p.m.; surely you can wait that long!

Foot Soldier Resources 

Here’s the link to the Foot Soldier Costume Guide (what to wear under your costume), the krewe store (foot soldiers are welcome to purchase tickets and items from the “keepsakes” category, but may not purchase throws),  and our Cafe Press site with t-shirts, sweatshirts, tote bags and more. Our online Joan library is full of not only books but also music, movies and TV shows. Here’s our calendar, including foot soldier costume pick-up dates.