About Our Krewe...

The Krewe of Petronius - New Orleans

The "Grande Dame" of gay Mardi Gras balls, and one of the oldest gay organizations in the world, Petronius was founded in 1961, and has staged ever more elaborate balls. Indeed, except for The Lords of Leather and Armenius, all gay Mardi Gras krewes have sprung, like Eve, from the ribs of Petronius -- Petronius members leaving the krewe often founded their own Carnival clubs.

Begun initially to poke fun at the stodgy, royalty-fixated straight balls, and to create a reason for dressing in drag (besides Halloween, the only time it was legal to cross-dress in New Orleans pre-Jim Garrison and stonewall), over the years Petronius has become one of the major establishment events in New Orleans. From staging its balls in people's homes, to the ILA hall, to the St. Bernard (parish) auditorium and, finally, to the Municipal Auditorium (along with Rex and Comus), to the Theatre of the Performing Arts (two years ago when the auditorium was usurped by the city and turned into a "temporary casino"),Petronius is now recognized as one of New Orleans' most unique cultural institutions.

Led by its indefatigable Captain, Mickey Gil, the krewe's balls have evolved from drunken displays of outrageousness into slick, eye-popping technical marvels of theatrical savvy which require thousands of dollars, the krewe spends the year raising its ball funds through a variety of money-raising events. This past year saw the krewe presenting the sensational, world-renowned cabaret singing sensation, Miss Karen Akers, as one of its many successful money-raising events.

This year's 35th anniversary bal masque, "Star Whores," featured some of News Orleans' best talent, from Miss Becky Allen (gayneworleans.com's cyberqueen) to our very finest drag performers, like Lisa Beaumann, who presented her incomparable takes on Carol Channing and Katherine Hepburn, to the dynamic singers Chris Wecklien and Cynthia Owen and pianist extraordinaire Mr. Harry Mayronne, Jr.

Queen Petronius XXXV is Mr. Wess Hughes and King Petronius XXXV is Mr. Hoyle Byrd. Video tapes of the ball are available @ $25.00 per cassette, by e-mailing to: info@ambushmag.com.

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