Orpheus
By Arthur Hardy

The Krewe of Orpheus made history in 1994 when its first parade rolled with 700 members. Its organizers wanted to give New Orleans a third consecutive parade in the tradition of Endymion and Bacchus. Because of the musical heritage of the founders of the club, including Harry Connick Jr., the group chose Orpheus as its namesake. Orpheus was the son of the Greek muse Calliope. The krewe’s Leviathan float was the first to use fiber optic lighting. Among the celebrities to appear in Orpheus have been Ann Rice, Whoopi Goldberg, Sandra Bullock and Glenn Close.