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MARDI GRAS MARCH

Campbell University's Sound of the Sandhills Marching Band traveled to Slidell to take part in one of the state's largest Mardi Gras parades

By Campbell University

January 30^th, 2024

Campbell University's Sound of the Sandhills Marching Band knew they were coming to a party when they left Buies Creek on Jan. 26 for New Orleans. But the hugely popular Krewe of Poseidon parade in Slidell (just outside of the Big Easy) was even more than they expected.

The entire six-mile parade route was packed with people — organizers say anywhere between 30,000 and 40,000 people attend one of the state's largest Mardi Gras parade outside of New Orleans' city limits. And the marching Camels were up for it — they played, danced, sang and interacted with the crowd for the entire three hours.

They left New Orleans exhausted, but with memories that will last a lifetime.

“These students lifted their bar higher than I ever expected. I told them about the culture and the expectations of the bands performing in these parades, and they just fed off the energy around them. It was beautiful. ”

The Krewe of Poseidon Parade in Slidell first became a night-time event in 2018. The parade has since grown to become one of the largest in the state outside of New Orleans (Slidell is roughly a half hour north of the city). The 2024 parade — with the theme of "A Child's Imagination" — consisted of roughly 825 riders on 28 floats and about a dozen marching bands.

“We're used to playing and marching precisely, but at this parade, we were allowed to loosen up. We still wanted to sound good, but there was a lot of dancing and talking to the crowd. It was really fun.”

Campbell University's Sound of the Sandhills Marching Band has participated in the past two Raleigh Christmas Parades, and their appearance in Slidell is part of an effort to build a resume toward bigger parades (the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Rose Bowl Parade are considered the crown jewels for any marching band).

Dr. Dwayne Wilson, director of bands and instrumental studies, said building the resume is important, and the experience the students had in Louisiana is even bigger.

"It's all about the student experience," he said. "They'd never seen anything like this before, and they loved it. You could tell from their body language and the way they interacted with the crowd."