Las Fridas NOLA head to Bay St. Louis
There is a particular kind of magic that happens when a New Orleans krewe piles into cars and heads east along the Gulf. The playlist gets louder. Someone is fixing flowers into someone else's hair at a gas station in Waveland. And by the time they arrive, it is a full on procession.
That is exactly what Las Fridas Krewe did this month: a road trip to Frida Fest, Bay St. Louis.
The bay showed up the way the coast always does, with open arms, cold drinks, and that unhurried Mississippi warmth. And Las Fridas showed up the way they always do... in full color. Huipiles in the sunlight, singing, and dancing. If it feels like Las Fridas is everywhere lately, that's because this krewe is definitely making its presence known. And they brought home 1st Place in the Frida look-alike contest.
This has been a year of firsts. The krewe made its public debut at Pride Fest on June 13, stepping into the streets of New Orleans with its first gatherings at its year-round home, Studio Shakti in the Marigny. Since then, the momentum has not stopped. That is the heartbeat underneath every appearance, every road trip, and every flower crown. This krewe is joy as an act of defiance. It is grief transformed into color.
It is Latin American culture, centered on female voices, taking up space in a city that understands better than anywhere else on Earth that celebration is sacred.
And now, New Orleans gets her own.
On Saturday, September 12, Las Fridas Krewe and Studio Shakti will host Frida Fest NOLA & Hispanic Heritage Celebration at Cafe Istanbul, inside the New Orleans Healing Center. The timing is no accident... the festival lands at the opening of Hispanic Heritage Month and in the same breath as Central American Independence Day, a day that carries deep meaning for those with roots stretching from Honduras, through Mexico, to Guatemala and beyond.
Expect food, music, art. Expect an afternoon that feels like a family party and a trip to the marketplace all at once. Ticket sales open in August, and details coming soon.
Save the date, y'all!
With a second line in my step wherever the rhythm carries me,
Karlita
Karla Marie “Karlita” Cochran
In the Spotlight 504 New Orleans
