If the delay is long enough, members get out of their chairs and dance with strangers to a Sinatra song in the middle of the street. When the floats stop, that’s when the real magic happens. Charles Avenue at 5 mph in various states of recline, they wear dapper smoking jackets with matching shoes, a cigar in one hand and a cocktail in the other while background music from famous crooners like Louis Prima, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin blares to the enjoyment of the crowds. Photo by Alex Lanaux / Laissez BoysĪs this group stylishly rides down St. The 55-member krewe – a membership-based social organization that puts on a parade or ball during Carnival season – rolls down the parade route in the comfort of their motorized recliners.Ī member of the Laissez Boys poses for pictures along the parade route while fully reclined and dressed in a suede smoking jacket and plush recliner with a beer in the cupholder.
This year, as revelers descend on New Orleans for the first time in two years, onlookers will be revved up to see the return of the Laissez Boys, one of Mardi Gras’ newest traditions. Everyone is just thrilled Mardi Gras is back. When we lost that, it was really, really hard. We kinda can’t believe we get away with it every year,” founding member Chris Poche told the PBS NewsHour. We get so excited about what we get to do. I think it’s true for everyone in New Orleans. We missed it terribly, much more even than I think we thought we did. READ MORE: For New Orleans, the return of Mardi Gras is critical ‘for our pocketbooks and our souls’ Carnival season in the Big Easy is a place where people don’t run away from crazy. The line is drawn somewhere, however - the chairs must be recliners, no love seats allowed. They are plush, padded, comfortable, and easy to drive. The chairs, which can weigh up to 400 pounds, sit on motorized scooters. Some have lamps, James Bond-style pop-up bars or ice chests, fancy lighting that mimics car headlights, or a simple reading leg lamp. They ride motorized recliners, which each member personally styles. They’re the Laissez Boys, a French turn on the popular furniture maker, and they regularly catch the attention of locals and tourists alike during Carnival. NEW ORLEANS – Even i n a city where nothing should surprise you, a group of 55 men riding down the street in electric-powered La-Z-Boy chairs can turn heads.