With Carnival season upon us, The Arcade’s got your back when it comes to the must-see parades this Mardi Gras.

Thursday

Knights of Babylon, a long-established, traditional parade, will commence the Uptown revelry at 5:45 p.m. on Thursday Feb. 12. It will travel from Magazine Street and Napoleon Avenue down St. Charles Avenue from the Napoleon Avenue intersection to Canal Street. Knights of Chaos will follow at 6:15 p.m. with sarcastic, satirical themed floats. Finally, Krewe of Muses, known for having an all female krewe and throwing unique, decorated shoes, will begin at 6:30 p.m. Be sure to get a spot for Muses early, as there will be lots of great throws and beautifully designed, colorful floats.

Friday

Hermes will begin the Uptown parades on Friday Feb. 13 at 6:00 p.m. It will follow a very similar route to Thursday’s parades, travelling down St. Charles Avenue from Napoleon Avenue to Canal Street. Hermes is a fun precursor to Krewe D’Etat and Krewe of Morpheus, which will follow at 6:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. respectively. Hermes is sure to have plenty of good Caduceus themed throws, Krewe d’Etat has spot on politically satirical floats, and Morpheus will have musically themed floats and generous, moon themed throws.

Saturday

Krewe of Iris, the oldest, largest all female krewe, begins Saturday Feb. 14 at 11:00 a.m. on St. Charles Avenue and Napoleon Avenue. The krewe is known for having beautiful, intricate masks and throwing lots of beads. It will travel down St. Charles Avenue to Canal Street. Krewe of Tucks will follow at noon, with signature potty humor theme marked by plenty of toilet paper.

Krewe of Endymion, which beings at 4:30 p.m. in Midcity, is a parade that the more energetic, gung-ho Tulanians should venture out of Uptown to catch. It is known for having huge, amazing floats with light displays and a never-ending rainstorm of throws.

Sunday

Sunday’s Uptown highlights include Krewe of Thoth at noon, which is sure to be fruitful in terms of beads. Be sure to check out the Box of Wine parade, which will be in the Uptown St. Charles Avenue area on Sunday as well to see hilarious, Franzia themed décor and suckle sunset blush from a strange man’s chest, if you so desire. Krewe of Bacchus, which will begin at 5:15 p.m., is sure to be crowded and live up to its alcohol-saturated namesake. The floats are awesome and strikingly painted, with large, detailed faces and figures, and the generous, grape themed beads are a Mardi Gras classic.

Monday

Lundi Gras begins Uptown with Proteus, the second oldest Mardi Gras krewe, at 5:15 p.m. It will dazzle with fantastical, mythology themed floats. Orpheus will follow at 6:00 p.m. It is known for both its classic Orpheus themed throws and its celebrity guests, which have recently included Fats Domino and Quentin Tarrantino. Both of Lundi Gras’s Uptown parades will travel down St. Charles Avenue from Napoleon Avenue to Canal Street.

Tuesday

The day we have all been waiting for will begin early, with the Krewe of Zulu at 8:00 a.m.  Be sure to get a good night’s sleep (or stay up all night) and head to Zulu early to find a good spot to catch an ever-elusive hand decorated golden coconut. Zulu’s Mardi Gras Indian costumes are also notably one of the most emblematic, gorgeous parts of Mardi Gras, and everyone truly must see these elaborate costumes that are the products of hours of hard work and dedication. Krewe of Rex, one of the oldest organizations to participate in Mardi Gras and the reason for its purple, green and gold colors, will follow Zulu beginning at 10:00 a.m.