St Catherine’s Day was created in the 10th century to commemorate Catherine of Alexandria, an early Catholic martyr. Since medieval times, St Catherine has been known as the patron saint of unmarried women.

In France, girls traditionally prayed for husbands and held a feast for local ‘Catherinettes’ (unmarried women over the age of 25) on the feast day each November.

By the early 1900s, French milliners had identified a marketing opportunity in the Catherinette celebrations, holding St Catherine’s Day hat parades to show off their latest work. At this point, St Catherine unofficially became the patron saint of milliners.

Bring your family and friends and a few bottles of bubbly (enough to share). We will provide coupes, but bring your own champagne glassware if you can! NO GO-CUPS! We encourage everyone to take their trash with them. Empty glass bottles will be brought to Glass Half Full NOLA for recycling.

Our parade strolls along bumpy New Orleans sidewalks. Small wagons for kids are ok but large wagons, carts, contraptions or bikes are NOT allowed.

A spiffy outfit, a snazzy hat, and comfortable shoes! We generally don’t wear costumes so that our hats steal the show! Make a hat, find one, or borrow one. Try to shop local and thrift rather than opting for big box stores and online outlets.

Check our Instagram @nolahatparade for suggested vendors.

We will depart from McDonough Zachery park just before 11 a.m., following a champagne toast. Our route is less than a mile along Garden District sidewalks. Wear comfortable footwear!