New Orleans is known the world-over for Mardi Gras, and going forward, the city and its tourism industry will partner with the King of Carnival himself to promote the event. When Carnival begins each year on “Twelfth Night,” the city will deliver a proclamation, created by the Rex organization’s School of Design, to citizens around the world beckoning them to attend Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
The Rex organization began creating its Royal Invitation in 1872 when a group of young New Orleans leaders decided to issue invitations and a proclamation, inviting all to come to the Crescent City to join in its unique Mardi Gras celebration. In the days before mass media, broadcast, and tourism industries, the beautiful art posters and brochures were distributed in railroad stations, plastered on train cars, posted in centers of commerce, and placed in public buildings around the nation in major U.S. cities.
The 2013 Royal Invitation incorporates artwork from 1886, inviting visitors to “gather, from far and near, to join in the many celebrations and processions which will shortly unfold under the joyful Carnival banner.”
Each year, both the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation and the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau will issue an electronic version of the Invitation across the country to media, as well as over 60,000 travel trade professionals and tour operators. Both tourism corporations will feature the Royal Invitation on their website’s homepage.
