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At 6 a.m., the Northside Skull and Bones Gang will emerge from the Backstreet Cultural Museum (1116 St. Claude Ave.). Representing an old-time tradition of skeleton masking indigenous to the Tremé neighborhood, they don large skull-like heads and black body suits with bones painted on them. Legend has it that the tradition began after a merchant marine returned from Mexico, where he had been impressed with the Day of the Dead celebrations that occur at the end of October. At 7 a.m. in Audubon Park, Rex and the Queen of Carnival, along with a contingent of loyal subjects sporting commemorative T-shirts, will be on hand for The Royal Run. After a ceremonial toast, the jaunt begins with the firing of a brass cannon. Following the St. Charles Ave. parade route—a good viewing location is between Melpomene Ave. and Jackson Ave.—the Zulu, Rex and truck parades ostensibly comprise the day's "main event." While a family atmosphere prevails along the St. Charles, the French Quarter—party central—brings forth a human circus that has to be seen to be believed.

Northside Skull and Bones masker, Mardi Gras 2003

Note, however, that magnificently attired Mardi Gras Indians are seldom seen along the main parade thoroughfare and avoid the Quarter altogether. The tribes, or “gangs,” spend the morning roaming the streets of their respective neighborhoods. The musically renown Wild Magnolias, for instance, gather at the intersection of Second St. and Dryades St., usually sometime between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Or catch Donald Harrison, the jazz saxophone virtuoso and chief of the Congo Nation, coming out at Walmsley Ave. and N. Lopez St. sometime around the break of day. He'll then proceed to S. Claiborne Ave., formation area for the Zulu parade, to toast King Zulu, Gerard Johnson.

Later in the day, Indians will drop by to strut their stuff at the Backstreet Cultural Museum, which has an open house planned from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. They'll also appear at A.L. Davis Park, at Washington Ave. and LaSalle St., and around the intersection of N. Claiborne Ave. and Orleans Ave. The latter is ground zero for the African-American community’s Mardi Gras Under the Bridge, a family-oriented celebration—sponsored by Tambourine & Fan organization in conjunction with KMEZ-FM (Old School 102.9)—with bargain food and live entertainment.

Big Chief Donald Harrison, Mardi Gras 2003

There will be two stages on N. Claiborne: one at Orleans and another at Dumaine St. (Performance schedule for the Orleans stage: 11 a.m. - 12 noon, BRW; noon - 1 p.m., Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers; 3 p.m. - 4 p.m., Donald Harrison and the Congo Nation Mardi Gras Indians; 4 p.m. - 5 p.m., Michael Ward; 5 p.m. - 6 p.m., ReBirth Brass Band.) Before there was a bridge/overpass along Claiborne, the street, lined with majestic oak trees, served as the Carnival hub for Mardi Gras Indians and other masking traditions associated with the city's black celebrants—specifically, Skeletons and Baby Dolls (bawdy women who cavorted in skimpy outfits—skirts and bloomers, satin blouses and bonnets tied under their chins with ribbons). These traditions came back into prominence last year with the debut, on PBS television, of All on a Mardi Gras Day, a documentary that included never-before-seen footage of Mardi Gras on Claiborne as it was celebrated before the oak alley was razed to make way for the I-10 expressway, in 1956.

Inspired by the documentary, cultural proponents are bringing traditional black Mardi Gras back to Claiborne. Ernie K-Doe's Mother-in-Law Lounge (1500 N. Claiborne) will be the site of a special afternoon celebration featuring Mardi Gras Indians, Skeletons, Baby Dolls and live music. Among those who will be honored are Allison "Tootie" Montana, recipient of a National Heritage Fellowship Award for his mastery of the Mardi Gras Indian craft, and Baby Doll Miriam Reed.

Mardi Gras 1997 was to be Montana's final outing as chief of the Yellow Pocahontas—an occasion that marked 50 consecutive years of masking Indian. But much to the delight of his fans, he emerged from retirement in 1999 with a dazzling pink "suit" that was assumed to be his final effort. Now 81 years old, he's at it once again.

When he emerges (sometime around 12 noon) from his home at 1633 N. Villere St., in brand new regalia featuring his trademark 3-D designs, he will, according to the February cover story in New Orleans magazine, be "the oldest black Indian to ever hit the streets on Carnival Day." Accompanied by a brass band and a small army of well wishers, he'll make his way to the Mother-in-Law Lounge on Claiborne. Hosted by Antoinette K-Doe, widow of R&B legend Ernie K-Doe, festivities there will include musical performances by Al "Carnival Time" Johnson and Cyril Neville. Anyone in costume is welcome to join in the revelry.

The action along the St. Charles Ave./Canal St. parade route and in the Quarter, while not rivaling Montana's exploits from a human-interest standpoint, will be nonetheless festive. Exuding an energy all their own, freewheeling walking/marching groups often inspire others to follow in their wake–mimicking, drinking, dancing. The Jefferson City Buzzards, founded in 1890, take off from Laurel St. at Audubon Park at 6:45 a.m., meander from bar to bar, and then parade down St. Charles. Many Buzzards carry walking canes decorated with paper flowers which they hand out to female spectators, often in exchange for a kiss.

The (mostly homemade) regalia of the footloose Mondo Kayo Social & Marching Club is generally tropically themed, but in the spirit of do-it-yourself performance art, individual participants are free to decide for themselves what may please the Tiki gods. And the fact that the krewe operates on the fanciful premise that New Orleans is the northernmost banana republic seems to encourage a gonzo mentality whereby participants gleefully embrace “primitive” Bacchanalian impulses. That, and copious quantities of early-morning beer.

They rambunctiously gambol to an eclectic mix of recorded music—genres range from exotica and space-age bachelor-pad music to acid jazz, African soukous and Carnival songs from the Caribbean and Latin America. Their unusually powerful sound system is incorporated into a bicycle-powered contraption known as the Maxi Taxi or Kayo Cab.

Hitting the main parade route at Second St. at around 8 a.m., Mondo Kayo heads down St. Charles to the Quarter—stopping along the way at Gallier Hall to exchange toasts with the city's official Mardi Gras emcee, who is presented with a basket of "tropical abundance" that includes special bananas painted gold.

Krewe of Grotesque and Outlandish Habiliments music "float" and props

The Krewe of Grotesque and Outlandish Habiliments—an impressive chicken-themed ensemble with elaborate costumes, walking heads, mini floats and a booming sound system of its own—takes its name from a newspaper article written in 1837, when Mardi Gras processions were impromptu affairs made up of miscellaneous maskers. “A lot of masqueraders were parading through our streets yesterday," reported the Ash Wednesday edition of the Daily Picayune, "and excited considerable speculation as to who they were, what were their motives and what upon earth could induce them to turn out in such grotesque and outlandish habiliments.”

The krewe, whose monarch is always got up as Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame, hits the St. Charles parade route early, before Zulu, and proceeds to the French Quarter en route to Frenchmen St., in Faubourg Marigny. The theme for this year's procession is "Shake-n-Bake."

Competing for attention in the midst of the truck parades, which follow Rex, will be the Mystic Krewe of Spermes. Participants—most of whom are graduate students in psychology at Tulane University—tote individually decorated sperm on wooden dowel rods. They pursue, and periodically swarm around, a lone “egg.”

The Krewe of the Golden Calf, whose gilded namesake rides in a shopping basket, invites “the unconverted” to “experience the deep, manic joy that comes from bowing down before a golden idol.” In front of the cathedral at around 9 a.m., the blowing of a bull’s horn will signal the ritual unveiling of Calf, whose maker was inspired by the raucous party scene in Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments.” Krewe throws will include medallion beads and inspirational pamphlets.

While most revelers in the Krewe of Elvis (motto: "Where Every Member is a King") opt for evocations the 1970s, Vegas-era Elvis—i.e., white jumpsuits with bellbottoms and cape, accessorized with sunglasses, sideburns and jet-black pompadour—the costuming has been known to range from Planter's Peanut Elvis and Afro Elvis to Ann Margret, teeny boppers and nurses who dispense "prescription" medication. Hitting the streets at 10:15 a.m., the krewe will throw necklaces with medallions depicting the 2004 theme, "Mardi Gras with the Top Down"—a reference to Elvis's love of cars—along with beads and a variety of krewe-specific items.

Krewe of Coleen, Mardi Gras 2003 Photo by Pat Jolly

Make way for The (Grocery Cart) Queen of Mardi Gras: 74-year-old Coleen Sally—celebrated children's literature guru/author, raconteur extraordinaire and consummate New Orleans eccentric—rides around in a shopping cart known as the Royal Chariot—blowing kisses and parting crowds, reveling in chants of “Hail to the Queen, the Queen Co-leen,” and spreading good cheer and hilarity. The Krewe of Coleen appears around 11:45 a.m., rolling past the cathedral along Chartres and then heading up St. Louis to Royal to catch La Société de Ste. Anne. Then they roll to Canal to entertain spectators and watch the Rex parade. If the essence of Mardi Gras is revealed through costuming, then La Société de Ste. Anne is the ultimate Fat Tuesday walking/marching club. Formed in the 1969 by Henri Schindler, the noted Carnival designer and historian, and compatriots Paul Poché and Jon Newlin, the group derived its name from a visit Poché made to St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, where he came across a burial organization called La Société de Ste. Anne.

Beginning at around 11 a.m., court will be in session at Le Booze Bar (inside the Royal Sonesta Hotel; 300 Bourbon St.), where The Judges of Mardi Gras will administer “justice” by handing out strands of beads and a “Certificate of Exposure” to women who show parts of themselves that normally remain covered up.

Bourbon Street Awards costume, Mardi Gras 2003

The 40th Bourbon Street Awards costume competition begins at noon on St. Ann St. near Bourbon (registration begins at 10 a.m.). Drag divas Bianca del Rio and Blanche DeBris co-host this eye-popping spectacle, which tends to showcase racy and extravagant costumes, including ones designed for gay balls. There are four categories of awards presented: Best Drag, Best Leather, Best Group and Best of Show. If you can't get near the stage because of the crowds, a good place to scope the contestants, as they're coming and going, is the intersection of St. Ann and Royal. Also around noon, the free-spirited Krewe of Kosmic Debris along with its musical contingent, The Pair-A-Dice Tumblers, sets out from Frenchmen St. on a meandering, rag-tag romp through the Quarter.

Meanwhile, the Rex parade will be rolling down St. Charles to Canal. At around 12:30 p.m., in front of a reviewing stand at the Hotel Inter-Continental (444 St. Charles Ave.), the procession pauses so that the Monarch of Merriment can toast his queen and present her with a bouquet in the traditional Mardi Gras (and Rex) colors of purple, green and gold/yellow.

At 2 p.m., from a balcony at 828 Bourbon, the blasting of confetti cannon will signal the start of the 17th annual Krewe of Queenateenas Bead Toss (krewe motto: "You Show, We Throw"). Making the honorary first throw will be King Cake Queen XI: Ms. L. Ford, a.k.a. The Dragon Queen. The Queenateenas theme for 2004 is "Drums, Drags & Dragons."

During the afternoon in front of the cathedral, in what has become a decidedly bizarre Mardi Gras ritual, fire-and-brimstone Jesus freaks exchange rhetorical jousts with sundry neo-pagans, Goths and misfit maskers. Later in the day, Kosmic Debris and various other local tribes congregate on Frenchmen for percussion jams and general merrymaking.

The Mistick Krewe of Comus, which coined the term “krewe” upon its founding in 1857, is often credited with having originated the “format” of modern-day Mardi Gras festivities—presenting a thematic street parade with floats, followed by a tableau ball, at a time when Mardi Gras was an unruly, street-masking affair. Although Comus no longer parades—it withdrew from the streets after its 1991 procession, because of differences with the New Orleans City Council over a newly adopted Carnival antidiscrimination ordinance—members have taken to marching through the Quarter on Fat Tuesday, brandishing rakes and ringing cowbells in homage to the Cowbellion de Rakin Society.

The Cowbellions, now defunct, emerged on Christmas Eve 1831, in Mobile, Ala., when a waggish cotton broker named Michael Krafft supposedly found himself in the doorway of a hardware store, quite likely intoxicated. As legend has it, he gathered up a string of cowbells and attaching them to the teeth of a rake, went on his merry way, clattering. The escapade evolved into Mobile’s premiere Carnival organization, a so-called "mystic society" that sponsored New Year’s Eve masquerades and even ventured to New Orleans in the late 1830s to partake in Mardi Gras.

In 1840, the Cowbellion de Rakin Society presented its first parade with floats depicting a specific theme: “Heathen Gods and Goddesses.” A masked ball followed. The original Comus krewemen looked to the Cowbellions as a model for bringing structure, creativity and decorum to New Orleans Mardi Gras. At around twilight, members of Comus will emerge from Restaurant Antoine (731 St. Louis St.) and march through the Quarter, throwing doubloons and cups en route to the Municipal Auditorium in Armstrong Park, site of the Comus Ball. Some of the krewemen sport large papier mache heads that are also worn at the ball.

Comus walking heads, with cowbells Mardi Gras 2002

At around 10:30 p.m., Rex and his entourage arrive at the Comus Ball for the traditional Meeting of the Courts. In a blaze of television lights (tune in to WYES-TV/Channel 12) and glittering scepters and tiaras, Rex and Comus escort each other’s queens in a Grand March. After the royals make their exit, a curtain is drawn across the stage, symbolizing the “official” end of Carnival.

Meanwhile, a small army of police officers and city sanitation workers, whose attire is emblazoned with the Mardi Grasesque Mayor's Clean Team logo, will begin amassing at the intersection of Bourbon and Iberville for the grand finale of Mardi Gras, The Midnight Sweep of Bourbon St., which kicks off with a siren’s wail and a roar from the crowd.