NEW ORLEANS — Some New Orleans Carnival Krewes are already instructing their riders to buy additional throws this year in anticipation of a return to their traditional parade routes.
Neighbors and businesses along Magazine Street in uptown are awaiting the possible return of their Mardi Gras Sunday Thoth parade.
“Anything that gets us back to normalcy is a big plus. I miss the route going close to my house,” NOLA Wine Merchant owner Geoff Worden said.
“It’s one of the biggest parades to come through here,” Ceviche & Pisco restaurant owner Juan “Tito” Lock said. “Hopefully, we’re getting back, Sunday Thoth back on Magazine Street.”
The city originally cut the Magazine Street leg of the Toth parade and shortened other routes again this year. That’s because of a manpower shortage at the NOPD. Mayor Latoya Cantrell has now given krewes until January 23, to secure outside police officers.
That would allow them to roll on their traditional routes. Thursday Interim Police Chief Michell Woodford announced it would take more than 300 additional officers to insure all traditional routes return.
As of Thursday night, Endymion was the only parade organization to find supplemental policing and receive city approval to return to their original route.
But Thoth is telling its members they will be back on their traditional route as well. The city revealed for that to happen, Thoth would have to find 124 officers to secure the additional 31 blocks.
The Uptown neighborhood is hopeful.
“That’s very exciting for us,” Lock said. “The last couple of years, we haven’t had any parades coming through here. I believe it would benefit all the business here along Magazine Street.”
“I think a lot of people have been a little adrift and lost and Thoth has such a public persona of that charitable piece that it’s nice to see them leading that charge back,” Worden said.
For now, Thoth’s official website shows the parade starting at State and Tchoupitoulas, then past Children’s Hospital on Henry Clay to Magazine, Napoleon and St. Charles Ave.
The mayor said if the krewes can round up the additional outside, P.O.S.T certified police officers, the city will pick up the tab.
The Mardi Gras advisory council has already reached out to the Louisiana Sheriffs association, asking for additional resources from across the state.