NEW ORLEANS — Two weeks before their parade hits the streets, members of the Krewe of Bacchus on Sunday welcomed their families, friends and special guests to their float den for an open house and sneak preview of this year's parade.
Bacchus' 51st parade will roll on March 3. The theme, “Starring Louisiana,” will celebrate films and TV series shot or set in Louisiana, including “Streetcar Named Desire,” “King Creole,” “Easy Rider,” “American Horror Story,” “Treme,” and “NCIS: New Orleans.”
Floats designed and produced by Kern Studios illustrate more than two dozen films or TV shows. That includes "JFK," "Jezebel," "Live and Let Die," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," and "The Princess and the Frog."
The super floats for the Kong family and Bacchaneer, which debuted in 2018, will also return, along with other Bacchus signature floats.
Jensen Ackles, actor, director and star of the horror fantasy series “Supernatural,” will reign as Bacchus LI.
Ackles, 40, stars as Dean Winchester in the "Supernatural" series on the CW network, which is currently in its 14th season. Ackles has been a regular on the show since 2005. On the show, his character joins his brother in driving throughout the U.S. to hunt paranormal predators, demons, angels and other fantasy and sci-fi creatures.
Ackles will join the ranks of past Bacchus kings including last year’s monarch, Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons; Danny Kaye, the first Bacchus; and Bob Hope, Will Ferrell, Anthony Mackie, Harry Connick Jr., Perry Como, Andy Garcia, Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Raymond Burr and many more.
Bacchus was founded in 1968 by restaurateur Owen "Pip" Brennan, Jr. and is now celebrated as one of the most important and popular krewes in Carnival history. The parade, which started out with just 250 members, has now grown to more than 1,600 members. Its first parade rolled in 1969.
Bacchus is once again partnering with WWL-TV for exclusive coverage of the parade from the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center where the Bacchus Rendezvous is held each year. The parade will air March 3 at 10 p.m. on Channel 4, WWLTV.com, WWL-TV's mobile app and Facebook page.
