Who is she? Makayla Paige, a Mobile area native, has been participating in Mobile Mardi Gras festivities of various capacities including parades and balls for as long as she can remember. Paige has attended the Pharaoh’s ball as a guest. “I went with some friends about two years ago. It was such a unique experience,” she says. “The ball was beautiful and everyone who were from the Pharaoh's Crewe were dressed up in super exquisite costumes,” Paige continues. The Process Paige explains next, a bit about what the preparation process looks like. “I spent the morning doing my hair and makeup and helping my friends set up their table. They had gift bags for each person placed at their tables and they decorated the tables to match the gold theme,” she says. Next, she says that once they completed the setup process, they all attended the parade. The ball takes place at the Mobile Civic center, where Paige and her friends went to check in once the parade ended and the group changed into their ball gowns. “We checked in then went inside and sat at our table before the procession,” she says. Before the procession of royalty (current King and Queen of the Crewe), guests seat themselves in preparation. “The lights were dimmed but each person had a certain light show and song play for them as they walked in. It was super cool,” she continues. Once the procession ended, the food bar opened, along with the dance floor, and Paige and her friends partied the night away.
Parades Paige explains that she has always attended the parades but has never ridden in one. She believes that in order to do so, one must be a member of an organization or be directly invited by a member.
Example of a float that can be seen in a Mobile Mardi Gras parade.
The Facts:
Michael Kraft is known for originating the first ever Mardi Gras parade in 1830 (Mobile Carnival).
Kraft and his friends organized a parade in downtown Mobile on New Years Eve (Mobile Carnival).
Today, Mobile has over 60 Mardi Gras societies, 33 of which participate in parades (Mobile Carnival).
The Mobile Carnival Association was established in 1872 (Mobile Carnival).
In 1875, the association convinced the Alabama Legislature to declare Mardi Gras a legal holiday (Mobile Carnival).
The first queen was added to the royalty in 1896 (Mobile Carnival).
Coronation ceremonies are held each year to appoint a new king and queen (Mobile Carnival).
Cecilia Sutton
The type of elegant dressings that can be seen during call outs
Who is she? Cecilia Sutton, a Tennessee native, but Mobile resident, has been to three different Mardi Gras balls in Mobile, Alabama. “In 2019 I attended the Pierettes and the Order of the Polka Dots. In 2020 I went to the Crewe of Columbus ball and the parade beforehand,” she says. Sutton attended all of these balls with friends who have connections within these organizations. “One of my friends has a grandmother in Pierrettes, another friend’s mother is in Order of the Polka Dots and another friend’s brother in law is a member of Crewe of Columbus,” she explains. The Process “Usually, I start getting ready for the ball around 5 or 6,” Sutton begins. When she is not planning to attend the parade prior to the ball, she typically meets up with friends for drinks before the start of the ball. “At the beginning of the ball, everyone is seated in the Civic Center. This is when call outs happen,” Sutton recalls. During call outs, members of the organization are announced, along with their escorts. The members are called according to their membership status, this can include associate member or full member. At the end of call outs, the queen of the organization is introduced. She says, “It is a huge procession when the queen is introduced. At Columbus, a Spring Hill alumni from the class of 2019 was actually the queen,” Sutton recalls with excitement.
Party on Once the call outs have ended, attendees are invited to explore the different rooms of the Civic Center, which have been decorated by members of the organization. “Usually, my friends and I put our belongings in the room of the member of the organization that we know, grab some food and drinks, then hit the dance floor,” Sutton explains. “The whole night after callouts is spent hanging out with friends, dancing, laughing and having a great time,” she concludes. Sutton hopes to eventually join one of the women’s organizations in Mobile so that she can participate in parades in the future.
Royal robes include a suit for the king and a gown for the queen and are required for coronation ceremonies (Mobile Carnival).
The queen ensemble includes: a train to compliment the gown, a crown and scepter and a collar to accent their gown (Mobile Carnival).
Throughout the years, varying aspects of the ensemble have changed but the components of the royal robes have remained (Mobile Carnival).
There is traditionally a firetruck that is driven at the end of the parade to signify to parade goers that it has ended (Mobile Carnival).
The firetrucks began as a part of the parades because they were originally needed to actually put out fires that would start during the parades (Mobile Carnival).
Mystic societies (or Crewes) find their meeting place at the Mobile Carnival Museum in downtown Mobile. There is a special den area dedicated to these societal meetings (Mobile Carnival).