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A St. Augustine High School graduate and former member of the Marching 100 band, King Zulu 2025 Rodney P. Mason Jr. leans against his boxes of Mardi Gras throws as he plays his trumpet on Tuesday NEW ORLEANS — When the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club take to the streets on Mardi Gras Day, they're showcasing more than 100 years of Carnival tradition. It's a tradition Rodney Mason Looking back at the time when they immediately fell in love at a Zulu choir ensemble nearly six years ago. Before tying the knot in 2022. "I just asked three questions. Rodney P. Mason Jr., an alumnus of Alabama A&M University, has been honored with the title of King Zulu for the 2025 Krewe of Zulu Mardi Gras Parade. More than 700 Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club members, a historic organization founded in 1909, voted Mason for King Zulu. “The club was founded after its members attended a Vaudeville play Walking those hills of Normal, Alabama, prepared me for where I am now, with the City of New Orleans and as King Zulu 2025.” As King Zulu, Mason will lead one of the most prestigious parades in New Orleans' Carnival season, culminating in an unforgettable Mardi Gras Day celebration. Today Zulu is famous for their coconut throw – quite possibly the most coveted throw in all of Mardi Gras. Zulu’s honor guard is called the Soulful Warriors; and they have characters including Big Shot, Witch Doctor, Ambassador, Mayor, Province Prince, Governor and Mr. Big Stuff. Celebrate the magic of Mardi Gras with this exclusive 2025 Zulu Commemorative Poster, individually numbered and signed by artist Harry Cass and King Zulu! This collector’s item is a must-have for Mardi Gras enthusiasts and New Orleans culture lovers. A rider hands out a coconut as the over 1,100 riders of the Krewe of Zulu make their way down St. Charles Avenue on Mardi Gras Day with their 44-float parade entitled "Celebrations and Libations While the "group" marched in Mardi Gras as early as 1901, their first appearance as the Zulus came in 1909, with William Story as king. The group wore raggedy pants and had a Jubilee singing quartet in front of and behind King Story. Click on the Mardi Gras krewes below for further information about the krewe and to see their usual route for each parade. Please note: Events and activities are subject to change without notice. Stay tuned to the site for further info. A rider hands out a coconut as the over 1,100 riders of the Krewe of Zulu make their way down St. Charles Avenue on Mardi Gras Day with their 44-float parade entitled "Celebrations and Libations In 1948 Zulu became the first Mardi Gras organization to feature a queen in its parade, when Edwina Robertson and her maids rode on the first Zulu queen’s float. Zulu made civil rights history in 1969 when the city granted the club permission to parade on Canal Street, the route historically reserved for white carnival parades. In 1949, jazz great Louis Armstrong returned to his hometown to reign as King Zulu. By all accounts, he considered the experience the crowning achievement of his life. Read on. King Zulu 2024 Melvin Labat stands up to be recognized during the Mayor's Mardi Gras King Cake Party at Mardi Gras World in New Orleans, Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024. (Photo by Sophia Germer, The Times By 2005 the Zulu parades were premiere Mardi Gras events with lavish floats. Gone was the raggedy pants parody of the original parade; the king and queen of Zulu reigned in elegant tuxedo and gown. From the thunderous beats of Zulu’s Mardi Gras Parade at dawn to Rex’s regal march by midday, Mardi Gras New Orleans merges history, faith, and playful invention into a single, unifying festival. Whether feasting on King Cake, catching beads from super krewe floats, or dancing all night at a grand ball, you’re part of a centuries-old Mardi Gras antics. After World War I, a visionary club member and army veteran, James Robertson, instituted the dramatic arrival of King Zulu by boat where the New Basin Canal crossed Claiborne. By the 1930s, huge crowds of Mardi Gras revelers lined up at the canal to await King Zulu. VIDEO TRANSCRIPT. Satire is a key element of Mardi Gras and nowhere is that on keener display than in the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club formed in 1909. Experience the vibrant and chaotic celebration of 1940 Mardi Gras in New Orleans, where the Zulu King leads the iconic Mardi Gras parade through the streets, The annual Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club coronation ball was held on Friday at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. Rodney P. Mason, Jr. and Kristen Bonds Mason were crowned
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Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
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