Sharon Osbourne is set to rule over one of New Orleans' biggest Mardi Gras nights. The Krewe of Orpheus announced Thursday that the television personality and best-selling author will serve as Monarch for its 2027 Lundi Gras parade, rolling through the city on February 8 at 6 p.m.
The announcement came Thursday, November 12, according to fox8live.com, which reported that this year's celebration carries the theme “Mystical and Marvelous... Madness and Merriment.” Osbourne, the widow of rock legend Ozzy Osbourne, said she felt “honored to be chosen as this year's monarch and to follow in the footsteps of so many fabulous members of the entertainment industry,” per the station's report. She is expected to be joined on parade night by family and friends.
A Float Built for a Rock Widow
Osbourne's float will be heralded by more than 50 performers from the local marching krewe The Dead Rock Stars, all dressed identically as Ozzy Osbourne, the same report states. The Dead Rock Stars, an all-male dance crew that assembles each year for the Muses parade, picks a different late rock star to honor annually, according to VICE. The troupe already paid tribute to Ozzy during the 2026 Muses parade, when the float's Grand Marshal appeared dressed as Sharon herself, and VICE reported, citing BBC News, that more than 200 people turned out for that tribute.
Also new for 2027: a troupe of Mardi Gras Indians drawn from tribes across New Orleans will take part in the celebration for the first time in krewe history, per the same account. They are expected to display their regalia and guide the Captain's Galleon along the parade route, marking a first for Orpheus.
Route, Gala and Ticket Details
The parade will start at Tchoupitoulas and Napoleon and end at the New Orleans Convention Center, according to the Krewe of Orpheus, which confirmed the Monday, February 8 roll time of 6 p.m. Once floats arrive, the public Orpheuscapade gala kicks off at 7 p.m. and is open to anyone who wants to join the celebration, the station's report notes.
Reports differ on just how big this year's parade will be. The station's account lists more than 1,500 members and 40 floats for 2027, while a Mardi Gras New Orleans reference page puts membership at 1,500 male and female riders with 38 floats, including tandems. Either way, it's a sizable step up from the 2026 parade, which rolled with 35 floats and more than 1,500 members when actor Noah Wyle reigned as Monarch, as fox8live.com reported at the time.
A Krewe With Star-Studded History
Orpheus was founded in 1993 by a small group that included Harry Connick Jr., Harry Connick Sr. and Captain Sonny Borey, according to the Krewe of Orpheus, and first paraded in 1994, per Mardi Gras New Orleans. Over the years, the Monarch's throne has gone to a rotating cast of Hollywood names, including Noah Wyle, Bryan Cranston, Nathan Fillion, Joey Fatone and Neil Patrick Harris, the reference page notes.
Osbourne now joins that list, bringing her own rock-and-roll pedigree to Lundi Gras night. Whether the parade ultimately rolls with 38 floats or 40 remains a matter of differing counts, but for New Orleans revelers, the bigger draw is watching a Crazy Train's worth of Ozzy impersonators roll down St. Charles in her honor.
