One Neighborhood, One Day, Four Parades: French Quarter Easter 2024

Storyboard
Written By Melanie Cole

The French Quarter Easter Parade on Bourbon Street, photo by Melanie Cole

April 2024

The day starts early with a small celebration of Ostara, the ancient goddess of renewal, followed in quick succession by the Historic French Quarter Easter Parade, the French Quarter Easter Parade (formerly the Chris Owens Easter Parade) and ending with the rollicking Gay Easter Parade, leaving the city needing a bit more renewal after the holiday!

See our hilarious Best Bonnets photo album here.

- photos by Melanie Cole and Ellis Anderson 

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This feature is made possible by Isabelle Jacopin Gallery

Ostara’s main float, shown later in the day at Armstrong Park, photo by Ellis Anderson

Osara parading down Chartres Street at 8:20 Easter morning, capture from video below.

The Historic French Quarter Easter parade, mid-morning, making the rounds of the central Quarter and ending at Jackson Square where the participants attended Easter Mass. Photo by Ellis Anderson

Terri Antholzner, the “flower girl” of Jackson Square helps one celebrant with a flower crown

The name of the parade has changed since her passing but Chris Owens was certainly there in spirit for the French Quarter Easter Parade.

photo by Melanie Cole

photo by Melanie Cole

photo by Melanie Cole

photo by Melanie Cole

photo by Melanie Cole

photo by Melanie Cole

photo by Melanie Cole

photo by Melanie Cole

photo by Melanie Cole

photo by Melanie Cole

photo by Melanie Cole

photo by Melanie Cole

photo by Melanie Cole

photo by Melanie Cole

photo by Melanie Cole

photo by Melanie Cole

photo by Melanie Cole

Carl Mack, founder of the Mardi Gras Museum of Costumes and Culture

(R) Historian, author and FQJ columnist, Frank Perez and friend, photo by Ellis Anderson

A new parade krewe wowed the crowds, Chaissez Ladies, photo by Ellis Anderson

 
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Melanie Cole

Brit by birth, Texan by persuasion, Melanie Cole was lured by the NOLA sirens in 2019. After college she accidentally found herself vagabonding around the globe in an international modeling career. By the 90s she’d ditched the runway heels for a thrift store army parka and torn jeans and began training as a graphic designer in Hamburg, Germany. She spent the following decades designing and developing print retail magazines for major publishing houses there.

Creating layouts that told stories in photos, together with her early years spent in front of a camera, honed her innate ability to capture the essence of a photographic story. She remains passionate about light, color, space, movement, people and their cultures, and visually documenting their stories.

Melanie lives with her two cats and loves to kayak LA/MS backwaters in her free time. Contact her at melanieshootsphotos@gmail.com and follow her at melnaieshootsphotos on Instagram.

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French Quarter Easter 2024: Best Bonnets