The Krewe of Choctaw was founded in 1935 and saw their first parade in 1939, using old mail wagons as floats. In their 90 years of Mardi Gras tradition, the krewe has allowed men, women, and children into their organization making it a family friendly krewe of 275 members. This year, the krewes parading theme is Choctaw Celebrates its 90th Anniversary at the Sock Hop. On Saturday, February 22, the krewe held their first annual Mardi Gras street parade.
The krewe was named after the Native Choctaw Tribe. Louisiana has multiple Choctaw communities including the federally recognized tribe is the Jena Band of Choctaw Indians, located in Trout, Louisiana, in LaSalle Parish. Its members are descended from families who migrated around 1850 from Mississippi by forced removal, when the U.S. government removed 10,000+ Choctaw people from their ancestral grounds.
Each year the Choctaw Krewe sends out their 16 floats on their parade route, starting at the intersection of Napoleon Avenue and Tchoupitoulas Street and ending at Poydras St.
Their signature floats include the Chief’s float and the Captain’s float. All of their floats, costumes, and krewe members serve their mission statement to promote good fellowship, contribute to civic good, encourage charity, and keep alive the great spirit of Mardi Gras.
Dr. John Hamide serves as the Mighty Chief Choctaw. He has been Chief since 2024 and is a vascular and interventional radiologist in the New Orleans area with over 25 years of experience and an LSU graduate. The krewe holds events throughout the year that feature the Chief, including the Chief Choctaw Pub Crawl, Chief’s Red Beans & Rice Dinner, and Chief Choctaw’s Big Pow Wow.
Throws this year feature a special 2025 doubloon to commemorate the krewes 90th anniversary. The doubloons come in the classic yellow, purple, and green, and feature images of a traditional Chief Choctaw and a dancing couple for the “Sock Hop” theme. Of course, the krewes signature throws — hand decorated tomahawks will be thrown!
Words by Emily Cigan @emily.cigan and Amy Harris @thetraveladdictig