Earlier this summer, the Krewe of Nyx announced a summer parade on July 27th through the Marigny & French Quarter. The Krewe wanted to alleviate some of the anticipated wait time between now and Mardi Gras, and without lessening the importance of Carnival. Unfortunately, Mayor Cantrell was having none of that, despite the intention of the summer parade addition.
Julie Lea, Nyx’s Founder and Caption, explained the Krewe thought it was a “great way to bring additional revenue and tourism to the city during the summer.” It might have boosted things a bit, especially since summer is known as the slower time in the city for the hospitality realm.
In a statement per the mayor’s office on June 3 (last night), Mayor Cantrell announced:
“I cannot support the addition of a summer parade. Their proposed second parade places demands on our public safety resources in the middle of hurricane season, and it is not something our NOPD leadership is comfortable with. Their request has been denied, and the event will not proceed.”
This is unfortunate news for the Krewe of Nyx ladies. The parade would have featured 20 floats, along with 800 riders and bands & dancers to accompany.
In a statement released on Tuesday (June 4) Lea responded to the city’s refusal to permit the parade:
“While we strongly disagree with Mayor Cantrell’s decision to reject our permit request to stage a summer parade, we respectfully accept it. We had no intention of straining the city’s public safety resources and understood that the costs of city services were up to us.
We chose a weekend where no other events were occurring in town, to purposely not tax city resources unnecessarily. Our members were excited about parading during the summer and we had already heard from several groups who planned to visit the city because of the parade. We thought this event would be a great thing for summer tourism and the City of New Orleans in general.
I can’t adequately explain my disappointment, but as strong women do, we stand up again and again. Nyx will always strive to break glass ceilings and do big things for the city we love. Our commitment to New Orleans remains steadfast.”
H/T: Nola.Com
Update: This story was later updated after with Nyx formal response to the cities denial