CHRIS GRANGER/THE TIMES-PICAYUNE It took some kneeling and lots of looking down as the float entitled, "Tutu Pequeno Tutu Tarade" being pulled by Michael Cerveris, top left, goes up Poland Avenue in New Orleans for the 'tit Rex parade on Saturday, February 26, 2011. (Photo by CHRIS GRANGER/ NOLA.com | THE TIMES-PICAYUNE)
By Doug MacCash, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
January 21, 2013 at 8:37 AM, updated January 21, 2013 at 4:55 PM
My number one, not-to-miss 2013 Carnival occurrence will take place Saturday (Jan. 26) in the Bywater and Marigny neighborhoods, as two of the Crescent City’s premier post-Katrina do-it-yourself parades, the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus and the mini-marching parade formerly known as ‘tit Rex (a shortened form of Petit Rex, inspired by the venerable Rex parade and pronounced like the dinosaur), will roll through the narrow streets. The Chewbacchus parade is devoted to Star Wars, Star Trek and all things science fictiony. The parade formerly known as ‘tit Rex (more on that in paragraph three) is a Lilliputian version of a Carnival procession, with shoe box- sized floats towed by formally attired marchers.
Neither Chewbacchus nor the parade formerly known as ‘tit Rex are as huge or splendid as most Carnival parades. But the expressive homemade floats and individualistic costumes in both parades make them much more amusing than most major Carnival krewes – to an art critic anyway. To me, they will always represent the bottom-up, come back spirit that is the silver lining of New Orleans’ 2005-to-present recovery era.