The Big Easy becomes The Big Greasy on Friday, February 25 as the Greasing of the Poles event, a Carnival season favorite, returns to Royal Sonesta New Orleans. While last year’s event was closed to the public and shown online, this year it returns to where it belongs, right on Bourbon Street in the heart of the French Quarter.

The Greasing of the Poles originated as a way to keep Mardi Gras party-goers from climbing the poles of Royal Sonesta New Orleans’s famed Bourbon Balconies, and it has become the signature event for kicking off Mardi Gras in the city. It even has a fan club in Switzerland!

The winner of the Greasing of the Poles will be decided by the esteemed judges for the event,  author of the award-winning Mardi Gras Guide magazine Arthur Hardy; freelance photographer, social media consultant, and New Orleans ambassador David Mora aka David NOLA; and a leader of the New Orleans Burlesque Revival, local performer, burlesque producer and former Greasing of the Poles winner Trixie Minx.

If you can’t make it to New Orleans for the Greasing of the Poles, join in the revelry online during the hotel’s Facebook livestream on February 25 at 10:00 am Central Time.

Catch the Royal Sonesta New Orleans live stream on Facebook.

Plan your overnight in the heart of the French Quarter.

Learn about our other New Orleans hotels:

Sonesta ES Suites New Orleans Convention Center

Sonesta ES Suites New Orleans