SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 6

Okeanos
11 a.m.
Location: Uptown
Theme: 'Events from the Past'
Floats: 17
King: George Ellis Jr.
Queen: Reeves Ellis
Throws: Medallion beads, cups, doubloons, flying discs and stuffed animals This daytime parade celebrates its 56th anniversary, with floats aimed at reflecting its historical theme and featuring everything from the dinosaur era and Elvis Presley to the '50s and beyond. The 16 featured marching bands include out-of-state visitors and the Marine Corps Reserve band headquartered in New Orleans.

Thoth
11:30 a.m.
Location: Uptown
Theme: 'Thoth Travels Below the Equator'
Floats: 37
King: Michael J. Saia
Queen: Melissa Ann Spera
Throws: Cups, doubloons, footballs, squeeze bottles, musical medallion beads Thoth has long been known as a neighborhood parade. Today, however, it boasts more than 1,000 riders on large floats. Since its' founding in 1947, Thoth's mission has remained the same -- to bring Carnival joy to the people of the Covenant House, the Lighthouse for the Blind, Children's Hospital, New Orleans Adolescent Hospital and the Poydras Home for the elderly. Music by 20 marching bands (six of whom are local) will fill the air.

Mystic Knights of Adonis
Noon
Location: Gretna
Theme: 'Adonis Visits Ancient Cultures'
Floats: 14
Adonis VII: Ed Boudreaux
Queen: Chetta Boudreaux
Throws: Special 'Dixie Cups' tossed by the grand marshals, signature king and queen cups, multicolored cloisonne doubloons, stuffed animals, toys, beads With the Dixie Cups acting as grand marshals, the parade promises to be a kick. This krewe adds satire to its parade as with the Viking float 'To Sea or Not to Sea,' a China-themed float titled 'Confucius Says,' a tribute to Roman myths, 'When You Roam,' and others. In addition to the floats, the parade is composed of 50 units, including horse groups, dune buggies, dance teams and marching bands.

Mid-City
2 p.m.
Location: Uptown
Theme: 'Just Another Super Sunday at the Movies'
Floats: 18
King: Rick Polizzi
Queen: Melissa Swanner Pettavino
Throws: Special black doubloons from riding officers, plush 'Sebastian' alligators, Zapp's chips, Mid-City double-heart plush toys, Mid-City Man plush toys, Mid-City medallion beads and cups As the Super Bowl prepares to get underway in Jacksonville, Fla., Mid-City honors the day with a football-related theme. Floats will include 'The Wizard of Odds,' with the Lions, the Tigers and the Bears represented on a float about football betting. 'The Clash of the Titans' and 'Gone with the Fins' (as in Dolphins) also honor the theme. The annual Greatest Bands in America Showcase promises once again to be a Mid-City highlight.

Bacchus
5:15 p.m.
Location: Uptown
Theme: 'Bacchus' Super Sunday'
Floats: 27
Bacchus: Sean Astin
Queen: None
Throws: Hand-painted beads themed to the football teams and host cities they represent, special dated Bacchus medallion with the king looking over a football, two sets of blinking beads (one of which plays 'Mardi Gras Mambo'), fiber-optic logo hats, doubloons Paying tribute to the parade date on Super Bowl Sunday, each of the krewe's floats will represent a team and its hosting city, including 'Buffalo,' 'New Orleans,' 'Kansas City-St. Louis,' 'Seattle,' 'Oakland-San Diego' and more than a dozen others. A new signature float 'Hospitality Flavors of New Orleans' depicts images of Louisiana seafood, gumbo and other hospitality industry symbols. Other standards will return, including the Kong family float, the Anheuser Busch Clydesdales, 86 flambeau carriers and about 30 marching bands, including the famed St. Augustine.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7

Proteus
5:15 p.m.
Location: Uptown
Theme: 'Fables Famous and Familiar'
Floats: 20
King: Secret
Queen: Secret until day of parade
Throws: Glass beads, gold and silver seahorse beads, red coozies, stuffed fish dolls The U.S. Marine Corps leads Proteus' 21 marching bands, 17 of which boast more than 100 members each. The krewe captain and 27 other masked horsemen add to the nighttime mystique -- along with 40 flambeaux carriers. Krewe members joke that their parade never has a flat tire -- that's because their floats are carried on old wooden wagon wheels built in the 19th century.

Orpheus
5:45 p.m.
Location: Uptown
Theme: 'Dance of the Hours'
Floats: 28
King: None
Queen: None
Throws: Cups, specially made beads, red, gold and green doubloons Celebrity monarchs include Toby Keith, the members of Sawyer Brown, Josh Gracin, the members of Better than Ezra and Earl Turner. (Alas, crooning krewe co-founder Harry Connick Jr. will be missed; he's performing in Australia). This year, after the signature Trojan horse float passes, look for seven specially made golden chariots to lead the captain's float. Thirty marching bands will pump up the tempo. Adding to the spectacle are costumed marchers with lighted 'electric butterflies' fluttering atop long poles.

Zeus
6:30 p.m.
Location: Metairie
Theme: 'Exotic Destinations'
Floats: 25
King: Anton P. Yrle
Queen: Megan Siebenkittel
Throws: Cups, medallion beads, doubloons, flying discs, throw bags or cruisers, coozies Zeus is the only parade in Jefferson Parish with floats pulled by mules, including the king's float. Look for at least 14 marching bands, including two military units. Zeus' Queen (who hails from Mount Carmel Academy) and her maids (from Ursuline, Dominican and Cabrini high schools) will be accompanied by marching units from their all-girls schools.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8

Zulu
8:30 a.m.
Location: Uptown
Theme: 'Zulu Goes to the Movies'
Floats: 47
King: Isaac Wheeler
Queen: Cheryln Wheeler
Throws: Zulu coconuts (scaled back to a lighter weight this year), back scratchers, doubloons, flying discs, tambourines and ambassador coins honoring the late Hilton White Zulu enters its 89th season by marking the return of the original Tramps walking group, which formed the core of the first Zulu parade and makes its return after a six-decade hiatus. The parade's 47 floats will advocate the cinematic theme that pays homage to such popular box-office fare as Harlem Nights, Casino, Blazing Saddles and Coming to America. Though there are 500 members, the riders number more than 1,000 and include grand marshal (and radio host) Tom Joyner and Miss Louisiana (and Grace King High School grad) Candace Stewart.

Argus
10 A.M.
Location: Metairie
Theme: 'Thanks for the Memories'
Floats: 20
King: Tommy Cvitanovich
Queen: Kaitlin Pastorek
Throws: Logo beads, cups, doubloons, Mardi Gras mints With 500 members, 20 double-decker floats and 33 total units, Argus will put on a memorable parade indeed. Guest riders include B-97 FM radio personality Kidd Kraddick as grand marshal, U.S. Sen. David Vitter as parade marshal and the cast of ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. This is Argus' 33rd anniversary, and the 21st year it has featured a king and queen.

Rex
10 a.m.
Location: Uptown
Theme: 'Visions of Age-Old Cathay'
Floats: 27
King: Secret
Queen: Secret
Throws: Theme-printed cups, striped cups, Boeuf Gras plush toys, long beads, doubloons In its 124th parade, Rex promises once again to be visually dazzling, as it portrays the history and mythology of ancient China (or 'Cathay,' as it was first known in the West). Lavish floats will honor the Peking Opera, the Monkey King, Kublai Khan and the Sacrifice of the Dragon Kings. Rex even offers links on its Web site (www.rexorganization.com) to help local students and others decode the symbolism on the floats.

Choctaw
Noon
Location: Gretna
Theme: 'Seventieth Anniversary'
Floats: 19
Chief: Henry A. Landry Sr.
Princess: Melissa Ann Mora
Throws: Two limited-edition beads (one with an Indian head and Choctaw emblem, the other that looks like the krewe's brand new Chief's Float), Choctaw bobble-head dolls, 70th anniversary Frisbees, cups, toys, spears, beads Celebrating its 70th anniversary, Choctaw will take to the streets in all new floats designed by Phil Fricano Jr., including a krewe-owned Chief's float. Each of the floats will depict the theme of a past Choctaw parade; some are double deckers and others are about 52 feet long. In addition, the crowd will be entertained with marching bands including East St. John, West Jefferson and St. Helena high schools, jazz bands on trucks, motorcycle units and dance groups.