The Krewe of Endymion is one of only three Super Krewes, and is the largest and most spectacular of the 80 or so parades participating in New Orleans Mardi Gras. It was founded in 1966 and named after Endymion {en-dim'-ee-uhn}, [1] from Greek mythology. It has a tradition of being generous with its throws, tossing millions of beads, cups, doubloons and trinkets during its annual parade, held the Saturday before Fat Tuesday. The parade is immediately followed with a spectacular party called the 'Endymion Extravaganza', which rivals anything that Las Vegas can offer. It was held from 1974 to 1980 at the now demolished Rivergate Convention Center . Since 1981 it has been held in the Louisiana Superdome except in 2006 when it was held at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center due to the Superdome being damaged from Hurricane Katrina. In recent years, the krewe has had over 2200 members and 12,000-14,000 guests at its Extravaganza. Endymion has a rich tradition of celebrity Grand Marshals:
- 1974: Doc Severinsen
- 1975: Dyan Cannon, Bobby Vinton
- 1976: Alice Cooper, Wolfman Jack, Jerry Vale
- 1977: Gino Vanelli, Penny Marshall, Cindy Williams, Vikki Carr
- 1978: Cheryl Ladd, Wayne Newton, Fats Domino
- 1979: Charo, K.C. and the Sunshine Band
- 1980: Engelbert Humperdinck
- 1981: Neil Sedaka, Suzanne Somers
- 1982: Captain & Tennille, Kool and the Gang
- 1983: Lou Rawls, Crystal Gayle, Kool and the Gang, Doc Severinsen
- 1984: Tom Jones, Kool and the Gang, Fats Domino, Doc Severinsen
- 1985: Wayne Newton, Fats Domino, Melissa Manchester
- 1986: Paul Anka
- 1987: Kirk Cameron, Jeremy Miller, Tracey Gold
- 1988: Dolly Parton, Heather Locklear, Roy Orbison, Smokey Robinson, Spuds MacKenzie, Miami Sound Machine
- 1989: Fred Savage, Hall & Oates
- 1990: John Goodman, Chicago, Four Tops
- 1991: Michael Bolton
- 1992: Kenny Rogers, Patrick Duffy
- 1993: Steven Seagal, Beach Boys
- 1994: Stephen Stills, Jeanne Cooper, Corbin Bernsen, Frankie Valli
- 1995: Chuck Norris, Huey Lewis, K.C. and the Sunshine Band, Richard Karn
- 1996: Kool and the Gang, Jonathan Silverman, Donna Summer
- 1997: David Schwimmer
- 1998: Jerry Springer, Jack Wagner, Ian Ziering, K.C. and the Sunshine Band
- 1999: Emeril Lagasse
- 2000: Britney Spears
- 2001: Frankie Muniz
- 2002: Jason Alexander
- 2003: Aaron Carter
- 2004: LeAnn Rimes
- 2005: Marisa Tomei, Gene Simmons
- 2006: Dan Aykroyd, Jim Belushi
- 2007: Taylor Hicks, Journey
Notes
- ^ The mythological name "Endymion" is commonly pronounced "en-dim'-ee-uhn" in English, although some names have a different pronunciation in ancient Greek; see "Encyclopedia Mythica: Pronunciation guide" webpage: Pantheon-pronun.
