Expect spectacular feathered suits, sizzling tambourines, age-old call-and-response chants and unique street rituals when New Orleans Mardi Gras Indians, also known as Black masking Indians, gather for the annual West Bank Super Sunday march.

The procession is set to start at 1 p.m., near L.B. Landry High School, 1200 L.B. Landry Ave. in Algiers. It will follow L.B. Landry Avenue toward the Mississippi River and turn left on Newton Street and left again at Teche Street, and conclude at McDonough Playground, 1500 Teche, where a festival will continue until 6 p.m.

Mardi Gras Indians spend months each year creating new suits that are seen on only a few occasions. The suits are debuted on Mardi Gras morning, worn again on St. Joseph's Day and again during three Super Sunday parades, one Uptown, one downtown and one on the West Bank.

Mardi Gras Indians

Little queen Bella Womble, 5, of the Cheyenne Mardi Gras Indians plays the tambourine during Uptown Super Sunday at A.L. Davis Park in New Orleans on March 19, 2023. The annual gathering of Mardi Gras Indian tribes celebrates their heritage and culture in hand-sewn suits, singing, dancing and chanting.

With the exception of maskers who perform at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the Indians retire their laboriously made suits and sometimes dismantle them.

This custom combines elements of Native American and African traditions, producing an art form as unusual as jazz music or Creole cuisine.

The Westfest Family Day in the Park that follows the parade will have food and beverage vendors, plus live music.

Email Doug MacCash at dmaccash@theadvocate.com. Follow him on Instagram at dougmaccash, on Twitter at Doug MacCash and on Facebook at Douglas James MacCash.