Will Ferrell - King Bacchus 2012!
The Bacchus Parade is named after the Roman god of wine and the wine and other alcohol was flowing in abundance last night but, as always, I passed on it myself.
Before I shot my first Mardi Gras Parade my old boss interviewed me and afterwards she said, “You don’t drink, smoke, or party… Why the heck are you in New Orleans?” But I love a good parade (a bad one can be a lot of fun!) and though some will probably roll their eyes when I say this, I sometimes feel God’s presence during a celebration that is similar to my experience when I celebrate Communion (one of my favorite books is The Kingdom of God is a Party by Tony Campolo.)
From past experience I would have expected to see Bacchus King Will Ferrell doing his share of drinking as the Bacchus crew are not at all shy about refilling their King’s wine goblet to keep his throat moist. I followed or backstepped in front of the float that Mr. Ferrell rode for long enough to catch a few hundred photos and see him through two toasts and the only time I saw him drinking wine (and that is only an assumption!) was during the toasts.
King Ferrell Throwing beads to his people
So what did he do all that time? He had a BLAST!
King Ferrell playing with some of the beads that decorate the New Orleans sky during Mardi Gras
King Ferrell was like a kid playing with the beads, throwing beads and other goodies to his many followers, waving, throwing kisses, and just plain having fun!
Harry Connick Jr., Mariska Hargitay, Sarah Hyland, Hillary Swank watch as King Will approaches
Harry Connick Jr. and his Co-Star, Mariska Hargitay were on hand to salute King Will for his second toast of the evening with Mr. Connick leading the ceremonies.
Cyndi Lauper giving a shout out to King Will of Bacchus as Hillary Swank catches beads
While Harry Connick Jr. led the ceremony, Cyndi Lauper led the celebration as she documented the event from her cell phone.
All in all it was an awesome evening and the stars shone just a bit brighter on Canal street last night.
For over 4,000 more photos from the Bacchus and other Mardi Gras parades check out the Weird Review Photo Galleries and keep checking back for more pics, videos, and articles from Mardi Gras 2012 in New Orleans and in the meantime follow us on Twitter and check out our Facebook!
Thanks!
These are some really cool photos. I think Will Ferrell looks like he is ready to star in a live action Disney Film. Although, I think this should be G-Rated and sweet as Bambi. He looks like Cinderella’s father.