The Krewe of Argus hit the streets of Metairie at noon on Fat Tuesday, two hours later than usual. That new start time hasn't gone over well with many paradegoers.
Some along the Veterans Memorial Boulevard route say they were exhausted by the time the parade finally reached them.
"I think traditionally for Metairie Mardi Gras, people anticipate getting there early, spending the day, but being done by early afternoon and heading home," said Rachel Ledet, 40, of Mandeville. "By then, people are really ready to put their feet up and relax and enjoy that Mardi Gras is over"
Some parents who had arrived on the route early found themselves corralling hot, hungry and cranky little ones, many of whom lost interest during the extended wait for the parade.
"I have a 1-year-old daughter, and it was very challenging with the delay in accommodating her," said Metairie resident Patrick Meyer, who attended a party on the parade route along with the parents of about 40 children under the age of 5. "The kids were getting tired. This was their nap time, and it's usually over by now."
The decision to move Argus from 10 a.m. to noon seems to have arisen out of conversation between the krewe and Jefferson Parish government. Argus Co-Captain Rob DeViney said a staffer from the office of Jefferson Parish Council member Jennifer Van Vrancken approached the krewe last year and asked about a later starting time to accommodate businesses along the route.
"Due to the dwindling number of trucks in the truck parade, the businesses were not profiting from Mardi Gras day because it basically was over by 1 p.m.," DeViney said.
The parish didn't force Argus to change times nor did the krewe object, according to DeViney. In fact, from 1974 to 1980, Argus actually rolled at 1 p.m., he said.
Some residents complained that the time change wasn't advertised well enough, leaving them unaware of the new time. Tuesday's record-setting Mardi Gras temperatures may have also made the wait a bit worse for some paradegoers. The New Orleans area recorded a high temperature of 83 degrees, the hottest on record for Mardi Gras since 1932.
Ledet had to buy extra sunscreen, bottled water and snacks for her kids while they waited for the parade on Severn Avenue.
"We ended up leaving early," Ledet said. "I had a toddler who was no longer having fun on the parade route."
The noon start time isn't set in stone, Van Vrancken and DeViney said. The parish plans to meet with all the parade krewes to discuss this year's roll and what, if anything, can be done to improve things.
Not everyone was against the delayed start time. Van Vrancken said her office received an email from a paradegoer who was delighted to be able to catch the Krewe of Zulu in New Orleans and still make it to Metairie in time to watch Argus.
Caroline Bruno, 38, Metairie resident with three kids under the age of 3, said she takes Mardi Gras as it comes. Aware of the later start time, her family had an early lunch and walked out to the route. They caught Argus, then a truck parade and then hustled the kids home for baths and bed.
"I know Mardi Gras is never on time," Bruno said. "It's never exactly what you expect. That's what you need to know going into it with kids and do what's best for you and your family."