As we close out Spring and move into Summer and Pride Month, we at Ambush want to start by thanking everyone who made the Gay Easter Parade (GEP) a huge success. This year we raised $5,000 for Food for Friends, a division of CrescentCare. Since 2003 the Gay Easter Parade has raised a total of $399,594.54 for Food for Friends.
I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank the member of the Gay Easter Parade Advisory Board who make the fundraisers and parade possible. Members of the board include Tony Leggio, Monica Synclaire-Kennedy and Daryl Dunaway. They each help to coordinate the multiple fundraisers that lead up to Easter. They donate their time, talents and money to help make each of these fundraisers a success. It is no easy task to pull off so many events and have them all be successful, yet the members of the board not only do it but make it look easy.
I would also like to thank all the members of community who supported our fundraisers by either attending or participating in the entertainment. A special thank you to all our sponsors and to Grand Marshal’s Jeffrey Palmquist and Felicia Phillips who were instrumental in raising sponsorship funds. Raising this kind of money is no small feat and is truly a community effort. On behalf of the GEP Advisory Board and Ambush we would like to give everyone a heartfelt thank you!
A breakdown of funds raised and expenses is below:
Funds Raised: (Note: Event totals include sponsorship funds collected at the event) Spring Fever/Sponsorship Party @ Le Cabaret $5,986 ($4,300 in Sponsorships); Purple Party @ Crossing $3,804.96 ($1,245 in Sponsorships); Corner Pocket Eggstravaganza $1,963.00 ($500 in Sponsorships); Oz Drag Extravaganza $2,428 ($100 in Sponsorships); Bunnies in the Big Easy $8,183; Parade (carriages, walking groups, convertibles) $3,388.00; Chef Ron’s Gumbo Stop Fundraiser $246.09; Additional Donation after parade $153.40– Total Raised $26,152.45
Expenses: Parade Permit $206.24; Cleaning Contract $3,550; Grand Marshal Portraits $350.00; Parade Insurance $530.00; NOPD Parade Detail $12,195.12; Orleans Parish Sheriff $2,840; Parade Banner $181.09; DJ for Bunnies event $300; Bunnies Bartenders & Cleanup $500; Bunnies addition expenses/awards $500 – Total Expenses $21,152.45
Again, thank you to everyone who made the 2026 Gay Easter Parade a huge success! We are excited to once again support Food for Friends and we look forward to next year’s parade!
