Endymion is what is called a "Super-krewe" - that is, a large, elaborate parade with huge floats and can have as many as 2,000 members! Endymion is traditionally held on the Saturday afternoon before Mardi Gras day. Due to its large membership (2,000+ people) and spectacular floats, Endymion has become one of the highlights of Carnival, with people camping out days in advance to secure a good viewing spot along the route. Since its inception in 1966, the krewe has upped the entertainment ante over the years, staging the Endymion Extravaganza at the Louisiana Superdome at the end of the parade, as well as providing music before the parade begins.

Past celebrity guests of Endymion have included: David Schwimmer, Jerry Springer, Britney Spears and Frankie Muniz.

Click here for the Endymion website

Bacchus is another one of New Orleans' favorite super krewe parades. This parade has over 1,000 members and traditionally rolls on the Sunday night before Mardi Gras Day. In addition to 27 floats carrying 1,050 members, there are also 32 marching groups. The Bacchus doubloons are wine, gold and black and the cups are white. There are also Bacchus Beanie Babies, Bacchus footballs and hand-painted medallion beads.

Bacchus was started in 1968, when a group of visionary New Orleanians, a virtual "who's who" of dynamic young civic leaders, proposed a new idea as a break with tradition. They established a new Carnival krewe, one that encouraged participation by guests and out of town visitors. They also presented the biggest and best parade and most imaginative, animated floats. The Krewe of Bacchus always presented a guest celebrity reigning as Bacchus.

Past celebrity guests of Bacchus have included: Drew Carey, Jim Belushi, Luke Perry and Nicholas Cage

Click here for the Bacchus website

The newest super krewe parade is the Krewe of Orpheus, which is one of the largest and most elaborate of the super krewes. In 2002, the parade included Venetian-style street entertainers, including stilt walkers, giant walking puppets, plus dozens of marching bands from throughout the country. More than 1,200 riders throw beads, cups and three types of doubloons - gold ones with the theme, red ones honoring music legends and purple ones from the riding lieutenants. Also thrown are special pearl aurora borealis medallion beads and the 44-inch Orpheus signature beads made of hand-strung pearls that are separated by purple, green, gold or red beads. Orpheus was formed in 1993 with the help of New Orleans native musician and actor Harry Connick Jr., who rides in the parade on a float, and who attends the post-parade party.

Click here for the Orpheus website

On Mardi Gras day, the two traditional parades that roll in the morning are Zulu and Rex. The Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club, as it is called, was traditionally a parade for African Americans who, prior to the 1960s, could not participate in the other parades. Today, the parade has more than 1,500 riders from many different cultures and backgrounds. There are 30 floats, 25 bands and 14 marching groups who participate in the parade, including the Budweiser Clydesdale horses. The doubloons that are thrown are green and black, and the cups are black and gold. Zulu is one of the liveliest and most anticipated parades of the season, and features many riders masquerading in black face disguise. The krewe began in 1916 to poke fun at the white Carnival krewes. Zulu has enjoyed widespread popularity as it entertains the crowds with its satirical style. It was the first Carnival organization to have a celebrity monarch, who as Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong, in 1949.

Click here for the Zulu website

The most important parade of the Mardi Gras season, Rex, King of Carnival, follows the Krewe of Zulu on Mardi Gras Day. The official name of the Rex organization is the School of Design. It was established in 1872 to welcome the visiting Grand Duke Alexis Romanoff Alexandrovitch, brother of heir apparent to the throne of Russia. The first Rex rode a bay charger and was followed by the gaily bedecked Boeuf Gras (fatted ox) and thousands of maskers on foot. Today, his majesty sits on a grand throne shaded by a gold leaf canopy. The Boeuf Gras appears in the form of an animated float. "If Ever I Cease to Love," a song played during the first Rex parade, eventually became the official song of the season, and the krewe's colors of purple, green and gold were adopted as the official colors of Mardi Gras. The krewe's 600 riders throw traditional golden doubloons, beads and cups. The identity of Rex, King of Carnival is kept secret to the entire city until the morning of the parade.

Click here for the Rex website