Cleopatra
By Arthur Hardy

The Krewe of Cleopatra is named for the Egyptian Queen of the Nile, an actual person rather than a mythological figure like the namesakes of most Mardi Gras krewes. The club was founded in 1972 as the first Carnival club for women on the West Bank of the Mississippi River. For 31 years Cleopatra officially opened the metro parade calendar that culminates on Fat Tuesday. As her motto proclaims, “Her Beauty is Timeless, Her Age is Now – Forever.” The Egyptian motif is executed by the design of the captain’s mini-float and by the queen’s Royal Barge.