NEW ORLEANS — Riders from around the country boarded their floats Monday afternoon as the Krewe of Orpheus got ready to roll.
The krewe carried their signature celebrity riders down the streets of uptown. Saints Kicker Blake Grupe lead the way, riding front seat for his very first Mardi Gras.
“I’m excited for tonight,” Grupe said. “I’m excited to get my first taste of it, and I couldn’t be more happy to do it in this city.”
It was a first for the krewe’s celebrity monarchs, too. Actor and director Neil Patrick Harris and his husband David Burtka rode just behind him, in a throne fit for the krewe’s kings.
“We are honored to be your kings,” Harris said. “Hail Orpheus!”
Burtka described New Orleans as a place where you can feel like a kid again.
“I’ve never felt like I was ten years old again, throwing toilet paper up in the air, throwing beads, it’s just been so much fun,” Burtka said.
The krewe’s headliner said this is not her first rodeo. Singer and actress Taylor Dayne has been to her fair share of Mardi Gras parades and loves to come back any chance she gets.
“New Orleans, you have always embraced my music and artistry,” Dayne said.
The energy from the riders spread throughout the crowd on the route.
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