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Royal Sonesta New Orleans gearing and smearing up for Greasing of the Poles

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The Royal Sonesta New Orleans is getting ready for its biggest Carnival celebration, Greasing of the Poles.

Greasing of the Poles is the official kickoff of the Mardi Gras weekend in the French Quarter.

Friday is the day; local celebrities will compete in the competition which serves an important purpose for the Royal Sonesta.

“300 Bourbon St., the street will be blocked. It’ll be a great party,” said David Bilbe, the general manager of Royal Sonesta New Orleans.

It is a party that has a whole purpose, or shall we say, “pole” purpose?

“So, Mardi Gras revelers don’t climb up the poles to get to the balconies,” Bilbe said.

The ones getting their hands dirty are local celebrities who compete to be the top greaser.

“Fun event. The local celebrities are people they recognize, people from the community, participating in both the judging and the greasing,” Bilbe said

The 55th annual Greasing of the Poles contestants will be Bounce musician HaSizzle; owner of Fleurty Girl Lauren Haydel; journalist Chelsea Brasted; and social media Influencer, Evelyn Bories.

The judges this year will be the former general manager of Royal Sonesta New Orleans Al Groos, TV host and reality TV star Tamica Lee, reality TV star Kelsey Anderson and Director of Brand Activation and Experiences for Moet Hennessy Shirin Braden. This year’s emcee will be singer Robin Barnes.

Attendees will also get to enjoy performances from Barnes, HaSizzle and Leroy Jones and the Original Hurricane Brass Band.

The hotel balconies will be adorned with a custom installation by Sparkle and Swag, and toasting the event will be Moet Hennessy.

This year’s Greasing of the Poles will also include appearances by the dance krewe 610 Stompers, The Merry Antoinettes, the Krewe of Zulu, the Krewe of NOMTOC and Mardi Gras Indian Queen Cherise.

The 55th annual Greasing of the Poles takes place in front of the Royal Sonesta New Orleans at 10 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 28. This year’s theme is “Grease Ya Later Alligator,” celebrating its mascot, “The Commodore” and Louisiana’s most famous reptile.

WGNO will be streaming the event online and on social media.

Stay up to date with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter.

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