Renovations underway at Spanish Plaza will mean some changes for the riverfront arrival of Rex, the King of Carnival, at Lundi Gras this year.
Rex officials and Riverwalk managers said Tuesday that the $7.5 million construction project restoring Spanish Plaza will move the krewe’s Lundi Gras celebration to an area outside of the Morial Convention Center near Julia Street.
As he has done for the past three years, the King of Carnival and his entourage will arrive on Lundi Gras by way of a decorated vintage railroad car provided by the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad. This year, instead of arriving near the Riverwalk entrance closest to Spanish Plaza, Rex will greet his subjects outside of the main entrance to the Morial Convention Center. A stage will be set up there with space for the crowd in the “whale” parking lot near the Hilton New Orleans Riverside and Riverwalk parking lots.
The work at Spanish Plaza involves installing new paving, a fountain, trees, plants, lighting and seating. Construction is anticipated to be completed in April.
Spanish Plaza has been the home of Rex’s riverfront arrival since 1987, with a stage hosting musical acts in the afternoon, then Rex making his Monday night appearance. As they have done since 1999, King and Queen Zulu will join Rex and his entourage, as well as the mayor, at the Morial Convention Center stage for remarks, followed by fireworks over the Mississippi River.
Rex is scheduled to arrive at 6 p.m. on Lundi Gras, Monday, Feb. 12. Musical entertainment will begin at 2:15 p.m. with Rockin' Dopsie, Jr. & the Zydeco Twisters, followed at 4:15 p.m. by Cowboy Mouth.
Zulu will host its 25th annual Lundi Gras Festival throughout the day at Woldenberg Park. Musical entertainment will be provided starting at 10 a.m. from such musical acts as Rebirth Brass Band, Amanda Shaw, the Original Pinettes Brass Band, the Pin Stripe Jazz Band and the Zulu Ensemble. In addition to King and Queen Zulu’s arrival at 5 p.m., Zulu characters will also make appearances at the outdoor event, which features food vendors.
After arriving by boat (his Royal Yacht) or Coast Guard cutter for most of the past 30 years, in 2015, Rex returned to the rails. Rex archivist Dr. Stephen Hales, who also reigned as Rex last year, explained that the train arrival was also a return to Rex’s past, since for several years in the 1880s, the King of Carnival did arrive by railcar, as trains became more popular and important to commerce in the city. Rex ended the tradition of arriving on Lundi Gras in 1917, but revived the practice in 1987.
