As Universal’s 2024 Mardi Gras celebration marked my first experience at the Universal Studios Florida’s seasonal festival, I was already in awe of what I was able to witness. Between some delicious Mardi Gras food offerings, as well as the gorgeous and energetic nighttime parade offered as its centerpiece celebration, I certainly want to go back and experience this event once again.
But another awesome reason I’m inspired to return on an annual basis is thanks to a story told by Lora Sauls, Assistant Director of Creative Development and Show Direction at Universal. Apparently this year’s parade theme, as well as one very special float, all hinged on a wild creative process. When it came to the exciting float that locked it all together, a 6 a.m. phone would determine one of the most beautiful floats of the lot.
How The Elements Became Universal’s 2024 Mardi Gras Parade Theme
Inspiration’s wild path from the ether to our minds is something I’m definitely familiar with as a writer. So when I was invited to Universal’s 2024 Mardi Gras press event, listening to Sauls speak about how this year’s parade came together was something that had my undivided attention. Sharing with the room what she felt made this year’s show particularly special, CinemaBlend was on hand to hear her remarks, which started with this piece of the story:
About a year ago, we took our trip to New Orleans, with an idea in our head: that we were gonna change six floats this year into a theme. We went there, couldn’t find anything to fit that theme. So in that trip, immediately we started seeing all of these really cool element type of things. And we were like, ‘I think we have a theme here.’ During that Mardi Gras trip, we quickly switched the theme that was in our head, and changed to Elements. We went through over 13 parade dens in New Orleans … I’m telling you, Kerns don’t throw away anything. They keep every prop from every parade they’ve done over the last 100 years.
While I’d have loved to had learned the original concept that both Lora and Matt had in mind for Universal Mardi Gras 2024, landing on the final form of the show led to a brilliantly beautiful assortment of parade floats. Thanks to the elemental lightning strike that Lora Sauls experienced, the theme of natural elements gave her and Senior Show Director Matt Flood the inspiration they needed for this new idea.
Alas, a new problem reared its head when it came to the six new floats they were looking to create. The truth of the matter was that they only had five ideas, leaving one hole in their show that was in urgent need of being filled.
The Creative Problem Universal’s 2024 Mardi Gras Parade Ran Into
Maintaining the spectacle of Universal's Mardi Gras pageantry was pretty clear in the brief that Lora Sauls described. That's especially important, as we're only three years removed from 2021's food-centric Universal Mardi Gras festivities, in which the floats were presented in a more stationary/COVID-mindful context.
After pouring over Kern Studios, one of the legendary prop and parade houses that help make Mardi Gras as exciting as it is, Lora Sauls and Matt Flood had their idea for Universal’s 2024 Mardi Gras in hand. Using the elements of nature as their guide, both parties were ready to get to work. That’s about the time Lora admits to the following stumbling block:
That night, Matt and I went back to the hotel, and we were like ‘Ok, we’ve got this! We have the elements, we have the elemental float where we can feature all the elements, right?’ … That’s where our creativity kind of hit a wall, and we were like, ‘Oh no. We don’t know what that sixth float is.’
To recap, at this point the six new floats for 2024’s Universal Mardi Gras were Earth, Wind, Fire, Water and the “elemental float” that showcased each of those forces. Team all of those together with the traditional King Gator float, and you could have had a fantastic spectacle right there. However, unsatisfied with the idea block they’d run into, Lora Sauls decided that it was time to, in her words, "phone a friend."
Why An Early Morning Phone Call Led To Locking In Universal’s Sixth New Mardi Gras Float
Calling an outside friend to help you find something you may have missed the first time is always a good idea. Lora Sauls picked up on that notion as she moved forward with Matt Flood to snag the idea for the sixth new float. As she described Curtis Hopkins’ credentials as Universal Orlando Resort’s Scenic Manager, Ms. Sauls eventually told this story about how the “sixth float” came into being:
There was one person missing on our trip, that goes on our annual New Orleans trip every year. That person is Curtis Hopkins, and he is our fantastic Senior Manager of the design team. And he’s been drawing Mardi Gras floats for as long as I’ve been here. … The next day I waited, and I waited until nine o’clock. I wanted to call him at like six AM. We phoned a friend at nine o’clock, and I said, ‘Curtis, we need your help. We have the elemental float, we have Earth, Wind, Fire, Water. What’s the sixth float?’ And I’m not lying, within seconds, he goes, ‘Sun and Moon.’ And I went, ‘Oh my God, you’re brilliant. You’re brilliant! That’s it!’
Praise be to Curtis and King Gator, Lora Sauls and Matt Flood had their final float idea! With another research session in the works, the two collaborators scoured the internet for material that’d sell the concept to Kern Studios, which would in turn land them the perfect sun and moon for the final new float. That turn takes us to the final part of our story, in which a good idea became even better!
Behold, The Sun And Moon Float!
Making requests for something so bespoke to your vision can be a pain. Getting something to exist in reality that matches up with the pictures you have in your head is enough of a problem, especially when you’ve gone through the process that Lora Sauls has described thus far.
This last piece of the Sun and Moon float’s genesis is a more positive development though. Having racked their brains, phoned a friend and dug deep into the internet to find references for their vision, Lora and Matt Flood headed back to Kern Studio in New Orleans with the sun and moon float firmly in mind. But as Sauls told the room, the supplier of fine parade and float furnishings lent the following final assist to seal the deal:
So we go to Kern that Friday morning, and say ‘This is what our parade’s gonna be!’ We found all of these pictures of suns and moons, and we took the deck to the Kern studios, had our meeting, and they were like ‘Yes. Where did you find this sun and moon stuff from?’ And we were like, ‘Online. We just found it online,’ and they were like, ‘I think we have a better sun for you.’
Results don’t lie, and after seeing Universal’s 2024 Mardi Gras parade for myself, I think it’s safe to agree with Lora’s assessment that the show is “one of the most beautiful Mardi Gras parades we have ever done.” The sun and moon float surely sparkles, but to be completely honest, you need to see it in person to really let it do its magic.
Which is a good time to remind y’all that Universal’s Mardi Gras 2024 celebration will continue until April 7th. So be sure to check the park schedule carefully, as the parade starts at varying times during the daily operating schedule of Universal Studios Florida.
Don’t forget to also keep a cautious eye out whenever any of those parade floats passes by, as you’ll want to be able to catch any stray beads being flung your way. But if you happen to miss Mardi Gras 2024 altogether, don't fret. The upcoming DreamWorks Land opening is sure to be something that'll bring its own unique spectacle to Universal Studios Florida real soon.
