Mardi Gras First Aid Volunteer Recruitment

Join our Mardi Gras Mission!

Red Cross volunteer wearing star shaped shades and beads around neck at Mardi Gras.

For more than a decade, CPR-certified American Red Cross staff and volunteers have had a presence during the Mardi Gras season. This year, we’re once again inviting CPR-certified volunteers to join our medical partners with the New Orleans Health Department, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Medical Reserve Corps, NOLA Ready, Volunteer Corps and VIGOR in first aid stations along the Uptown New Orleans parade route.

First Aid Stations

Uptown Route

St. Charles Avenue & Louisiana Avenue
St. Charles Avenue & St. Andrew St.
St. Charles Avenue & Howard (Harmony Circle)
St. Charles Avenue & Canal Street

Mid-City | Endymion Route Only:

N. Hennessey and Orleans
N. Broad St. and Canal St

Supporting First Responders & Essential Workers

We are expanding our support of Mardi Gras with a new initiative targeted to support our first responders and the “behind the scenes” workers stationed along the parade route, who are so integral to the success of Mardi Gras.

For six days of the 10-day Mardi Gras season, a Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) will be driven on the actual parade route between parading Krewes. Our ERVs will be stocked with assorted comfort items such as sandwiches, snacks, coffee, water, etc. and will be distributed to first responders and workers such as NOPD, NOFD, visiting law enforcement, sanitation workers, tractor drivers, military and out of town band members, chaperones and dance teams not accustomed to parading for long distances.

Look for our ERV - the big white truck with the red cross - rolling in between the following parades:

Fri, Feb 21 (after Oshun, before Cleopatra)

Sat, Feb 22 (after Legion of Mars, before Choctaw)

Wed, Feb 26 (after Druids, before Alla)

Fri, Feb 28 (after Hermes, before D'Etat)

Sun, Mar 2 (after Mid-city, before Thoth)

Mon, Mar 3 (after Proteus, before Orpheus)

join us on the route!

Parade Schedule

Friday, February 21: Uptown

Krewe of Oshun - 6:00 p.m.
Krewe of Cleopatra (Follows Oshun)

Saturday, February 22: Uptown

Krewe of Pontchartrain - 11:30 a.m.
Legion of Mars (Follows Pontchartrain)
Krewe of Choctaw (Follows Legion of Mars)
Krewe of Freret (Follows Choctaw)
Knights of Sparta/Spartan Society - 5:30 p.m.
Krewe of Pygmalion (Follows Knights of Sparta)

Sunday, February 23: Uptown

The Mystic Krewe of Femme Fatale - 11:00 a.m.
Krewe of Carrollton - 12:30 p.m.
Krewe of King Arthur - 1 p.m.

Wednesday, February 26: Uptown

Krewe of Druids - 6:15 p.m.
Krewe of Alla (follows Druids)

Thursday, February 27: Uptown

Knights of Babylon - 5:30 p.m.
Knights of Chaos (Follows Babylon)
Krewe of Muses - 6:30 p.m.

Friday, February 28: Uptown

Krewe of Hermes - 5:30 p.m.
Krewe d’Etat - 6:30 p.m.
Krewe of Morpheus (Follows d’Etat)

Saturday, March 1: Uptown

Krewe of Iris - 11:00 a.m.
Krewe of Tucks - Noon

Saturday, March 1: Mid-City

Krewe of Endymion: 4:00 p.m.

Sunday, March 2: Uptown

Krewe of Okeanos - 11:00 a.m.
Krewe of Mid-City (Follows Okeanos)
Krewe of Thoth - Noon
Krewe of Bacchus - 5:15 p.m.

Monday, March 3: Uptown

Krewe of Proteus - 5:15 p.m.
Krewe of Orpheus - 6:00 p.m.

Tuesday, March 4: Uptown

Krewe of Zulu - 8:00 a.m.
Krewe of Rex - 10:30 a.m.
Krewe of Elks Orleans (Follows Rex)
Krewe of Crescent City (Follows Elks)

See below for parade safety tips to share with your family and friends who are attending the parades as spectators, and as always, be sure to download the American Red Cross app for general safety tips.

Additional safety tips and reminders on how to celebrate safely from our partners at NOLA Ready can be found here.

General Parade Safety Tips

(Please share with your family and friends who are attending the parade as spectators.)

Sign up on Better Impact or become a volunteer with the American Red Cross of Louisiana
before January 31.
Have an active Basic Life Support (BLS) CPR certification or higher (not expiring before March 4, 2025).
Attend ONE Mardi Gras First Aid Station training (space may be limited so important to sign-up in advance on Better Impact)

Tues, Jan. 21, Noon - Tulane University School of Medicine (Hutchinson Building - Room 6001, 1430 Tulane Ave, New Orleans, LA 70112)
Thurs, Jan. 23, 8 p.m. - New Orleans EMS Headquarters (2nd floor classroom - 2929 Earhart Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70125)
Sat, Jan. 25, 10 a.m. - New Orleans EMS Headquarters (2nd floor classroom - 2929 Earhart Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70125)

Thurs, Jan. 30, 6 p.m. - New Orleans EMS Headquarters (2nd floor classroom - 2929 Earhart Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70125)
Sat, Feb. 1, 10 a.m. - New Orleans EMS Headquarters (2nd floor classroom - 2929 Earhart Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70125)
Sat, Feb. 1, Noon - New Orleans EMS Headquarters (2nd floor classroom - 2929 Earhart Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70125)

If you are an experienced Mardi Gras First Aid Station volunteer, please consider being a station lead. Email NOMRC@nola.gov for more details. Station lead training will be offered at the following times to volunteer coordinator-approved NOMRC or VIGOR volunteers.

In addition to helping staff the First Aid stations along the Uptown parade routes with CPR-certified volunteers, the American Red Cross will expand our support of Mardi Gras with a new initiative targeted to support our first responders and the “behind the scenes” workers stationed along the parade route, who are so integral to the success of Mardi Gras.

On every parading day of the Mardi Gras season, a Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle will be driven on the actual parade route between parading Krewes. Our exact location will vary on each parade day so be sure to look for the big white truck with the red cross, or “ERV” as we affectionately call it.

Our ERVs will be stocked with assorted comfort items, such as sandwiches, snacks, coffee, water, hard warmers, hand wipes, cooling towels, etc. The items will be distributed to first responders and workers such as NOPD, NOFD, visiting law enforcement, sanitation workers, tractor drivers, military and out of town band members, chaperones and dance teams not accustomed to parading for long distances.

American Red Cross of Louisiana