NEW ORLEANS — A second New Orleans Carnival parade, the Krewe of NOMTOC, has made the decision not to roll in 2020, according to Mayor LaToya Cantrell's office.
Beau Tidwell, the mayor's communications director, said Tuesday that NOMTOC, a West Bank parade, has notified the city that it does not plan to roll next year.
Health and safety concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, coupled with economic losses, have raised questions about Carnival 2021, particularly for smaller parades.
It joins the Krewe of Oshun, which announced in late September that it would not parade on the Uptown route next year. Oshun captain Henry Smith told NOLA.com that the uncertainty over the coronavirus pandemic caused “nervousness” among members, who were reluctant to commit to parading in four months.
Tidwell said Tuesday that discussions between the city and krewe leaders over the future of parades next year will continue over the next several months leading up to Carnival.
"Those decisions are going to be made by the krewes right now, based on their best knowledge and their understanding of the data and their feeling about what their krewes are going to be able to do and not do," he said.
"We're still pretty far out. As we've seen in the last year, things can change really quickly. Everybody is making decisions on the best information that they have available."
NOMTOC, whose name stands for "New Orleans' Most Talked of Club," first rolled in 1970. Its parent organization, the Jugs Social Club, was founded in 1951. NOMTOC traditionally rolls on the Saturday before Fat Tuesday.
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