Super Bowl 2025 LIVE updates: Philadelphia Eagles v Kansas City Chiefs
Mardi Gras floats with bead-tossing revellers cruised through New Orleans on Saturday as the city celebrated its Super Bowl hosting gig with a stout security presence after a New Year’s Day attack.
Reminders of the attack were omnipresent around the “Big Easy” this week, where tourists paused to take in a Bourbon Street memorial to the 14 killed and a law enforcement presence of astonishing proportions stood watch.
The F.B.I. said the man who killed 14 people when he drove into a crowd in New Orleans on New Year’s Day was “100 per cent inspired by ISIS.”Credit: Edmund D. Fountain/The New York Times
But the city known for its good cheer kept the party rolling at a first-of-its-kind Super Bowl parade ahead of Sunday’s showdown between the reigning Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.
“I like to see people smile and have a good time and let ’em know that hey, New Orleans is still in business. We still in business, baby,” said Buddy Laster, 64, decked out in gear from his New Orleans Saints.
Dozens of law enforcement officers lined the route from the French Quarter to the Central Business District, and revellers threw beads at Homeland Security agents that stood atop an armoured truck while police motorcycles wove past the crowd.
Melissa Fuller, attending the parade with her husband and two young children, said seeing throngs of excited visitors reminded her why she loves living in the city.
“We know that’s kind of what makes our city unique,” said Fuller, 39, as her five-year-old daughter Charlotte held her hands aloft to catch bead necklaces from passing floats.
“It makes you really appreciate it when you see other people seeing your city for the first time.” (Reuters)
