New Orleans & Co. World Pride hero

New Orleans & Company

Bringing a Showstopping New Orleans Experience to World Pride

For over 10 years, we’ve worked alongside New Orleans & Company to bring a more authentic voice to their LGBTQ+ marketing, earning them the designation of GayCities’ Second-Most Welcoming City two years in a row.

So, when we learned about World Pride being in the U.S. for the first time, it was clear we had to be there. If anyone can make an impression at a parade, it’s New Orleans. We knew that to make the parade a success, we needed to create an experience that would show LGBTQ+ people that our city is a welcoming destination unlike any other — and that’s exactly what we did.

We brought a 50′ riverboat float (the largest in the parade) adorned with custom Pride flags to New York City, with float riders including New Orleans locals, influencers, press, and Mardi Gras costumers. As our float progressed along the route, we handed out over 20,000 custom beads welcoming people to New Orleans.

New Orleans & Co. World Pride float sign
6.4M
Estimated Impressions
20,000+
Beads Dispersed
1,400
Snowballs Served
1,200
Sweepstakes Entrants
New Orleans & Co. World Pride parade
New Orleans & Co. World Pride crowd

Pulling off an event of this magnitude took over 8 months of planning, numerous volunteers, the engagement of local artists, and master Mardi Gras float builder, Kern Studios. We also enlisted the help of local businesses like Hansen’s SnoBliz and Krewe sunglasses to help us bring the New Orleans vibe to New York. World Pride ended up being the largest Pride in the world, with over 5 million people in attendance and over 632,000 viewers watching the live television broadcast. 

In addition to our magnificent float, we created three other activations. The first was a brunch held at the Moxy Hotel in Times Square, where we created a New Orleans-themed event complete with masks, custom branded beads, and authentic king cakes flown in from New Orleans. Then, at Pride Island music festival, we engaged special brand representatives to sign people up for a special sweepstakes in which they could win a Mardi Gras trip to New Orleans. For Pride Fest, we created a unique New Orleans experience featuring a photo wall of flowers, custom beads for each guest, and complimentary Hansen’s Snoballs. We also had special brand representatives interacting with the guests, greeting them and making them feel welcome.

In the end, we didn’t just tell people that New Orleans is a welcoming city — we showed it. 

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