Zulu Grand Marshal Harold Dudley leads second line at Lundi Gras 1999

Donald Harrison Jr., one of the premiere saxophonists of his generation, will be among the the performers at 8th annual Zulu Lundi Gras Festival, taking place at Woldenberg Park and Aquarium Plaza on Monday, March 6, 2000. The Zulu Lundi Gras Festival began when George Rainey, then vice president of the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club, and Karen Noles of the Audubon Institute, which operates the Aquarium of the Americas, came up with the idea of providing a day of free entertainment on the riverfront that would include the Float Characters of Zululand—fanciful icons such as Witch Doctor, Big Shot and Province Prince—and culminate with the arrival of the Zulu king and queen.

In the early 1900s, King Zulu arrived at the riverfront on Lundi Gras (Fat Monday) via the New Basin Canal, on a skiff. Beginning in 1917, after the canal closed, he arrived via the Mississippi, disembarking at the foot of Canal St.—a tradition that continued until the institution of the Lundi Gras Festival in 1993. Over the years, the festival has grown into a major attraction, with two music stages, a retail village and food and beverage vending.

The Lundi Gras 2000 festivities get underway at 10 a.m. Every hour on the hour, a Zulu character will lead a second-line parade from Aquarium Plaza, which is adjacent to the aquarium, to the Hibernia Pavilion, in Woldenberg Park. Normally, at 5 p.m., the Zulu king and queen would arrive by boat near Aquarium Plaza, where they'd be greeted by Mayor Marc Morial, who is a member of the Zulu organization. But sadly, King Zulu for 2000, Roy Glapion Jr., a city councilman and longtime member of Zulu, passed away on December 28. In his honor, the Zulus voted unanimously not to elect a replacement king. (Glapion had chosen his daughter, Desiree Glapion Rogers, to reign as Queen Zulu, and she is expected to continue in that role.)

Nevertheless, according to a Zulu official, the arrival ceremony will take place as scheduled, possibly with the participation of Glapion's son Roy A. Glapion, who is a member of Zulu. Afterwards, Zulu Grand Marshal Harold Dudley will lead a massive second line through Woldenberg Park and into the French Quarter; the parade finishes at the New Orleans Hilton.

The Zulu characters for Mardi Gras 2000 are: Gerard Johnson, Big Shot; Edward Sims, Witch Doctor; Bryon Mercier, Ambassador; Delrone Perkins, Mayor; Leon Pannell Sr., Province Prince; Darrin Blue, Governor; and Harlin Miller, Mr. Big Stuff.