The flame-torch carriers in New Orleans Mardi Gras night parades are called flambeaux.
The word comes from the French term for a flaming torch. Before modern electric lighting, flambeaux carriers walked alongside night parades, illuminating floats and helping spectators see the elaborate costumes and scenes. Their presence became part of the spectacle rather than merely a practical lighting service.
The tradition is associated with New Orleans’ first major organized Carnival parade in 1857. Early carriers included enslaved people and free men of color, reflecting the racial and labor history of nineteenth-century New Orleans. Over time, carriers became known for dancing, twirling, and performing with the torches, and spectators traditionally tipped them as they passed.
“Flambeau” is singular, while “flambeaux” is the plural commonly used for the carriers or the torches collectively. They are not parade officers such as captains or lieutenants, although individual krewes may also include those roles.