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The Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus is a science fiction–themed Mardi Gras krewe, or parade organization. Based in New Orleans, Louisiana, The Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus is made up of over 500 dues-paying members who call themselves "BacchanALIENs". It describes its mission as "to save the galaxy by bringing the magical revelry of Mardi Gras to the poor, disenfranchised, socially awkward and generally weird masses who may have never had the opportunity to participate in a Mardi Gras Parade Organization", and aims to "elevate all aspects of Fandom and celebrate Carnival in our own unique way". In short, "saving the galaxy, one drunken nerd at a time!"
Contents
History
The group was founded by self-styled "Publicity Stuntman" and conceptual artist Ryan S Ballard and curator/events director Kirah Haubrich in the fall of 2010. They were soon joined by local attorney Brett Powers and together they comprise the three "Overlords" of the Krewe. Chewbacchus marched for the first time during Mardi Gras 2011. Their signature parade contraption and mascot is a 7-foot tall "Bar2D2" that dispenses alcoholic beverages pulled by a "XXX-Wing" tricycle.
Parade themes and royalty
Mardi Gras krewes select a new theme for their parades each year and a new king and/or queen to reign over them. Chewbacchus often selects people from the entertainment industry and creates playful titles for its royalty, as listed below.
Floats and throws
Mardi Gras krewes often ride on trailers, vehicles, or other contraptions commonly referred to as floats. They also throw necklaces, toys, and other items (jointly referred to as "throws") to the crowd as their ride along their parade routes. While many krewes pay organizations like Kern Studios to build their floats and riders/participants often pay $500 or more for throws, for example, in 2013, the krewe Endymion paid Kern Studios over $1.65 million to build its floats, and paid over $750,000 for throws, Chewbacchus takes a more DIY approach. All of the Krewe's parade contraptions are environmentally friendly, made with recycled materials, and are human and electric powered. These contraptions are either pushed, pedaled or pulled and are built onto bicycles, homemade trailers, and shopping carts. In addition, throws must be handmade, and are often created during group events at Chewbacchus headquarters.
Hoaxes
The Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus is responsible for some notable hoaxes and publicity stunts and has been praised for its clever pranks. It kicked off its 2012 season with a guerrilla marketing campaign centered on an elaborate Bigfoot hoax by a fake organization, the New Orleans Bigfoot Society (N.O.B.S.), that claimed that Sasquatch lurked in New Orleans City Park. After generating controversy among both the media and the Bigfoot research community, the creature was eventually revealed to be a "Drunken Wookiee". During the summer of 2012 the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus expanded its fan base beyond Science Fiction to include Fantasy and Horror and announced it with a publicity stunt by organizing a fake protest by the "Mystik Krewe of P.U.E.W.C. (People for the inclusion of Unicorns, Elves, and Winebots in Chewbacchus)" at its second annual Alien Beach Party at Tipitina's. In late November 2012, the krewe was responsible for a prank website that quickly drew the ire of NASA by announcing that the Curiosity rover had located Mardi Gras beads on Mars and that the famous Martian "face" was in fact a Wookiee temple. As a gesture of goodwill the Overlords of Chewbacchus offered the entire Mars Rover team free memberships in the Krewe.
Issues and parades
The Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus is remarkable for its rapid pace of growth and popularity among local New Orleanians, gaining momentum from a small core group in its first few weeks to over 300 dues-paying members in its first year. Membership grew to 400 members in 2012. Over 500 dues-paying members marched in the 2013 parade and estimates place audience attendance at approximately 20,000 people. By 2016, membership reached over 800 BacchanALIENs.
One of the reasons for the rapid growth of Chewbacchus is the open nature of the parade - anybody can join for a relatively small fee, as compared to other krewes that can be invite-only, or cost twenty times as much to join.
In addition to its parade during Mardi Gras, the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus also hosts PUEWC Fest ("People for the inclusion of Unicorns, Elves, and Whinebots in Chewbacchus"), National Underwear Day Parade and Ignition Festival.