Like Babylon and Chaos, which parade on the night before it, Hermes is another nighttime New Orleans parade featuring an old-line look. Formed in 1937, Hermes traditionally kicks off the last big weekend of parades in Orleans Parish, with a classically-themed, beautifully-designed parade (the work of Henri Schindler and Blaine Kern Artists) that includes flambeaux and torch bearers. It now boasts more than 650 members. A bit of trivia: Hermes was the first krewe to introduce neon lighting to Mardi Gras. The club’s organizational name (which is also the name of its web site) is the Semreh club, which is Hermes spelled backwards.
