Jeffrey Palmquist and Felicia Phillips to Lead the Gay Easter Parade
Jeffrey Palmquist and Felicia Phillips have been named as Grand Marshals for the 2026 Gay Easter Parade. Both long-time French Quarter residents and celebrities, Palmquist and Phillips have strong ties to the queer community, having both worked in gay bars, both serving as royalty in Gay Carnival, both serving as Southern Decadence Grand Marshals, and both contributing to numerous charitable fundraisers.
Originally from Mitchell, South Dakota, Palmquist is a graduate of Dakota Wesleyan University. After living briefly in Hawaii, he worked as an intern athletic trainer with the Denver Broncos and also in the airline industry. After visiting New Orleans a few times, Palmquist chose to make the city his home. He bartended at Café Lafitte in Exile for twenty years and won numerous Gay Appreciation Awards for “Bartender of the Year.” He also spearheaded the bar’s annual charity fundraiser, the Red Party for several years. In addition, he has also raised money during Pride for the New Orleans Police and EMS Departments. In 2015, he was named the Krewe de la Rue Royale Reveler’s first Grand Reveler and in 2016, he was one of four Southern Decadence Grand Marshals (along with Phillips). Palmquist is also involved in the LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana, serving as the longtime chair of one of its standing committees. He is also the co-author of Café Lafitte in Exile: Queer New Orleans and the Story of America’s Oldest Gay Bar and the co-editor of My Gay New Orleans, an anthology of personal essays. He also co-hosted with Misti Gaither the popular on-line talk-show, “Lez Talk About It.” For the last several years he has worked as a real estate agent.
Originally from Beaumont, Texas, Phillips majored in theater and then turned to the art of female impersonation at an early age. Her early titles include Miss Gay Golden Triangle and Miss Gay Beaumont. She was the longest-running show director in southeast Texas, booking entertainers from all over the country and overseeing the casts of four clubs over a span of nearly three decades. Phillips thought she was leaving drag behind when she relocated to New Orleans, but drag followed her. After reemerging on the drag scene in New Orleans, Phillips was named Southern Decadence Grand Marshal in 2016, as well as Grand Reveler IV for the Krewe de la Rue Royale Revelers in 2018. Dubbed “The Cheese Queen” by Ambush Magazine founder Rip Naquin, Phillips wrote a column in the magazine entitled “The Real Cheese” and currently writes an advice column. Phillips also serves as the third emcee of the Corner Pocket’s legendary “New Meat Contest” (the first two emcees were Ms. Fly and Lisa Beaumann), as well as the host of the bar’s Sunday Zingo game. Phillips also bartends at the bar. 2026 marks Phillips’ 46th anniversary as an entertainer.
The Gay Easter Parade, now in its 25th year, is produced by Ambush Magazine and serves as a fundraiser for Food for Friends. The first of several fundraisers is the annual Spring Fever & Sponsorship party which is on Sunday, March 8th at 2:30 pm at Le Cabaret (834 N. Rampart Street). The Gay Easter Parade rolls on Easter Sunday, April 5 at 4:30 pm in the French Quarter.
