By Annie Rothschild Farman, PPC Executive Advisory Board Member
We are thrilled to celebrate the Krewe of Freret (KoF) and the incredible artist Boyfriend for making Mardi Gras history. Thanks to Boyfriend—one of our powerhouse Plastic Pollution Coalition (PPC) Notable Members—KoF has become the first-ever Krewe to ban plastic Mardi Gras beads.
Krewe of Freret is the parade that honors New Orleans musicians with larger-than-life models for their float designs. They’re one of the only parades to appoint a sustainability advisor (Boyfriend, who also has a float in her likeness), and in 2024 they made a public commitment to banish plastic beads during Mardi Gras. Their goal? To prevent more than two million plastic beads from being thrown over the next 10 years.
Mardi Gras is the largest free festival in the world—a dazzling celebration filled with parades, music, and tradition. Each New Orleans Parade or ‘Krewe’ has a unique history and theme. One of the signature parade elements? “Throws”—items tossed to the crowd, usually plastic beads. But here’s the catch: Every year, millions of pounds of plastic beads coated with toxic lead paint and flame retardants are imported from China just for this event. The result is a massive environmental mess. These beads clog storm drains, pollute New Orleans’ waterways, and leave the city buried in trash long after the end of the festivities. And if you’re wondering exactly what happens to all the plastic beads after Mardi Gras, we have the full breakdown here.
I was invited to experience Krewe of Freret’s transition from plastic beads firsthand by riding on the Boyfriend float. Our group included musician and Hip Hop Caucus Artist Relations director Dawn Richard, myself, and a bevy of New Orleans music industry professionals, like Big Freedia’s management team and Recording Academy members Erin Frankenheimer and Karin Bliznik. Our throws included locally sourced items with sustainable packaging like red beans and rice, soaps, glass beads, hats, children’s toys, jewelry, and more.
Boyfriend explains, “The plastic Mardi Gras bead is a fascinating example of plastic pollution. What makes single-use plastics so insidious is that they disguise themselves as allies to the consumer by offering a window of functionality. But the Mardi Gras bead has no function; it lives in the realm of celebration. Its whole purpose is to look pretty, particularly for the few seconds it flies through the air (if you don’t catch the bead being thrown to you it’s actually considered bad luck to pick it up from the ground), so the ‘functional’ lifespan of these beads is literal seconds, while material lifespan is centuries, because they come from petrochemicals.”
Culture & Activism Go Hand in Hand
Just outside of New Orleans, you can find one of the largest concentrations of the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries, an area known as Cancer Alley. 99% of plastics are made of fossil fuels which contribute to air, water, and soil pollution while posing serious health risks like cancer, infertility, asthma, and more.
Dawn Richard, artist and A&R director from Hip Hop Caucus expresses, “The work we do at Hip Hop Caucus is about pushing culture forward while advocating for environmental justice. Challenging the petrochemical industry and the expansion of LNG fossil fuels is critical to protecting our communities, especially in the Gulf South. That’s why the Krewe of Freret’s decision to be the first parade to eliminate plastic beads is so important—it’s a step toward sustainability and a statement against pollution. Culture and activism go hand in hand, and we’re proving that change can start anywhere, even on the parade route.”
In 2025, Boyfriend is preparing to roll out the Sustainable Mardi Gras Coalition (SMGC), which harnesses the power of local New Orleans culture to inspire awareness and action towards sustainability. The focus is supporting city-wide practices to reduce environmental impact, eliminating wasteful practices, empowering local creators, and also ensuring traditions evolve responsibly.
By banning plastic beads for their throws, Boyfriend and the Krewe of Freret have set a new precedent for sustainability in parades often flooded with plastic, highlighting the power of community-driven change. Their efforts prove that it’s possible to celebrate Mardi Gras while also protecting our planet. Here’s to a future where parades aren’t just about the throws, but also about the impact we leave behind—helping our planet, our health, and future generations instead of harming them.
Take Action
You can take your own action to stop plastic pollution today, by signing the pledge to refuse single-use plastic.
