Bacchus
By Arthur Hardy

Bacchus, the most innovative and imitated krewe founded during the 20th century, resulted from a meeting of twelve businessmen who gathered in 1968 to explore new directions for Carnival clubs in New Orleans. The largest floats ever assembled, the transformation of the tableau ball into massive supper dance with Las Vegas-style entertainment, and the choice of a national celebrity as its monarch are a few of the tradition-breaking moves made by the Bacchus organization. The Roman god of wine has been portrayed by numerous celebrities, including Bob Hope, Jackie Gleason, Raymond Burr and Charlton Heston.