LGBT Senior’s News On the Positive Side by Cora Berke: New Orleans’ Gay Easter Parade
News On the Positive Side- by Cora Berke
“An American has not seen the United States until he has seen Mardi Gras in New Orleans.” – Mark Twain.
When we think of New Orleans, one of the first things that come to mind is Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday. The first recorded Mardi Gras celebration in the US was in 1699 in Louisiana, celebrated by French explorers, who named their settlement Point du Mardi Gras. Centuries later, Mardi Gras grew in New Orleans, attracting about a million tourists a year today!
With all its famous floats, glitter and beads, Mardi Gras is not the only celebration in New Orleans. Celebrated on Easter Sunday in New Orleans is The Gay Easter Parade. This year on April 5th., 2026 the Gay Easter Parade celebrated its 25th. anniversary.
Rip and Marsha Naquin-Delain (both now deceased) were the founders of “Ambush Magazine,” for the LGBTQ+ community. They were the first same-sex couple to register as domestic partners in Louisiana, marrying later in New York. They started the parade in 2000 to raise money for an AIDS charity- Food for Friends. The charity provides meals for those living with HIV. With all the festivities surrounding the parade from private fund raisers to drag shows, over $400,000 has been raised for Food for Friends. This year’s proceeds will also go to the organization.
The Gay Easter Parade has become one of the biggest LGBTQ+ events in New Orleans, with local bartenders attesting to crowds larger than PRIDE. Parade Board member Tony Leggio said, “It’s been wonderful to watch how the community has accepted this parade and made it one of their favorites. A lot of the gay community doesn’t have family that they hang out with, so this, for the community is a wonderful opportunity to be around chosen family.”
It’s a day to show off your finest Easter attire and of course your Easter bonnets. From elaborate costumes to Bunny ears, floats, rainbow decorated eggs and horse-drawn carriages, it’s an event that unites the city. Of course, there is no shortage of Easter candy thrown from the floats to the crowds.
The parade began at 4:30pm and the route ends on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. This year’s Grand Marshalls were Jeffrey Palmquist and Felicia Phillips. Both are active members of New Orlean’s LGBTQ+ community. They were prior Grand Marshalls in Southern Decadence, royalty in the Gay Carnival and both are bartenders at Café Lafitte, the oldest gay bar in the US. Jeffrey and Felicia have donated their time to countless charity fundraisers.
Festivities carried on at local bars after the parade. Bartender Toby Lefort who works at Bourbon Pub and Parade, remarked, “My favorite day to work here is Easter Sunday.”
By the size of the crowds who attended this year, his sentiment was shared. WDSU reporter Lena Folke said,” Despite the rain, it hasn’t stopped a large crowd to come out and embrace PRIDE and self-expression,” proving that New Orlean’s resilience could not be dampened.