The Chewbacchus Guide to Parading is, in the considered judgement of those who have attempted to parade without it, an utterly indispensable compendium for anyone navigating the glorious, chaotic, and often deeply weird phenomenon known as a Chewbacchus parade. Unlike less essential reads — instruction manuals for IKEA furniture, terms and conditions, the small print on a New Orleans rideshare receipt — the Guide is considered the definitive source of knowledge, offering wisdom gleaned from years of enthusiastic, sometimes bewildering, revelry.
Its cover is a sturdy, slightly sticky (from unknown, possibly alcoholic, residues) digital screen, upon which, in large, friendly (though perhaps a little smudged) letters, is emblazoned the words:
HANDLE YOUR SHIT
The Guide explains, with a weariness that only years of patiently answering the same questions can bring, that this is not merely a suggestion but a fundamental operating principle. It is the core message, repeated in various forms throughout the Guide’s many entries, because, frankly, members have a tendency not to Handle Their Own Shit, and instead expect the already-harried Overlords and saintly volunteers to Handle It For Them.
“Handle Your Shit,” the Guide elaborates in a section pointedly titled Seriously, Read the Email, means taking personal responsibility for one’s own participation in the grand spectacle. It applies to such bafflingly common behaviours as:
The Guide does not mince words on this point. While the spirit of Chewbacchus is one of inclusive revelry and shared enthusiasm, it is not, repeat, NOT a full-service personal concierge. Handling Your Own Shit is, in the Guide’s formal estimation, an essential contribution to the glorious, slightly tipsy, forward momentum of the parade.
A note before going further: the Krewe maintains a parade-day companion app, Beacon 42, that surfaces the published lineup, the Droid Collar QR code, and push notifications from the Overlords. The dedicated entry is linked above; members are gently encouraged to install it before parade day, and the sections below reference it where relevant.
The basics, repeated yearly because they remain stubbornly essential. The Krewe’s position on each is, broadly, non-negotiable.
Things go wrong on parade day. Costumes give way at unfortunate angles. Contraptions develop opinions. The kit below is mostly contraption-oriented but applies to costumes and general parade-day misadventure equally well; the principle is to pack what would, in a worst case, get a member home in one piece.
Staple gun & staples · Duct tape, electrical tape, clear tape · Air pump · Fix-A-Flat · Batteries (AA, AAA, anything else assigned a role) · Bike lock · Zip ties · Scissors · Basic tool kit (hammer, pliers, wrench, bit screwdriver) · Hot glue gun & glue sticks (where contraptions carry power) · Utility knife · Bike tools · Bungee cords · Ratchet straps · Spare hardware: screws, nuts, bolts · Crazy glue · Tiny screwdriver · Sharpie · Safety pins · Earplugs · Flashlight · Paper towels and napkins · Trash bag(s)
Lineup is, in the Guide’s description, a magical place — equal parts staging area, social club, and structured pandemonium. Members are encouraged to arrive with enough time to load contraptions, pick up any last-minute wristbands, and walk around to admire what their fellow krewe-mates have built before the rolling begins in earnest.
Subkrewes must register in advance to be placed in the parade-day lineup. Registration runs through Krewebacchus and closes at the end of December the year prior to parade day. Placement is at the discretion of the Overlords and the Lineup Coordinator, and depends on size, theme, contraption, music, and the various structural concerns the Lineup Coordinator quietly tracks.
The Droid Collar is the Krewe’s wristband: it admits members into the parade itself and into the Chewbacchanal after-party. Distribution begins in the weeks leading up to parade day; specific dates and venues are announced each year through the membership channels.
Pickup is by QR code — each member’s unique QR is visible in Beacon 42 (and at krewebacchus.org) and is presented at the distribution tent to receive the wristband. Members are strongly encouraged to pick up before parade day. Anyone who hasn’t can do so at the main Chewbacchus tent at lineup, between 3 and 6 PM. Distribution closes promptly at 6 PM, no exceptions, no excuses; members without a visible Droid Collar during the parade will be asked to leave.
Red Shirts have their own distribution rules, which are documented at Red Shirt Operations.
The Krewe’s contraptions — from carefully-engineered DIY rigs to the spontaneously-assembled and the structurally questionable — are the parade’s rolling stock. Contraption rules, propulsion clauses, and the long checklist for parade-day reliability live in the dedicated entry at Building Contraptions. The brief, parade-day-relevant version: no fire, no riders on tugged float-like structures, 11 feet tall and under, and test before rolling.
Overnight parking for contraptions is available at the end of the parade route. The fee is $25; the lot is for contraptions only (no vehicles). Printed parking permits are distributed at Droid Collar distribution events and should be attached to the contraption upon parking. Contraption parking purchase runs through Krewebacchus.
Security is stationed in the lot; subkrewes should nonetheless secure and lock their gear, and contraptions should remain physically moveable so they aren’t trapped behind another that needs to leave first.
Contraption collection is the Sunday after the parade, with hydration and breakfast booze laid on as a courtesy. Specific times and the collection location are confirmed in the days before. The Handle Your Shit policy is in full effect: anything not collected by the announced cutoff is relocated to the street.
The Krewe’s signature throws — bandoliers, bando blocks, pocket shrines — are documented, alongside throw rules and a great many supplier links, at Throws & Costumes. The parade-day-relevant version: no glass, no plastic packaging, no condoms or live animals (yes, this needed to be specified), and no commercial advertisements or coupons. Plastic Mardi Gras beads, while not technically banned, are gently and consistently frowned upon by the Sacred Drunken Wookiee.