Organizations that host Carnival parades, balls and pageants are known in Louisiana as "krewes," a traditional title that dates back to New Orleans and the 1800s. Some krewes offer parades that roll through Lafayette for all to enjoy but almost all South Louisiana krewes will host a ball or pageant for its members sometime during the Carnival season.
 

Old Carnival traditions had krewes forming a secret Carnival society, choosing a mythological namesake, presenting a themed ball with costumed maskers known as a bal masque and staging a tableau ball featuring presentation of krewe "royalty" and a skit of some sort to entertain the king and queen.
 

Lafayette's Krewe of Gabriel, for instance, will choose a king and queen among its members and announce both at formal members-only luncheons. "Queen Evangeline" is announced publicly the weekend before Mardi Gras and is presented at the Queen Evangeline's Parade on the Monday evening before Mardi Gras. King Gabriel is announced in the Lafayette newspaper on Mardi Gras day and he rides the king's float in the King Gabriel's Parade beginning at 10 a.m.
 

Not all krewes host traditional Carnival balls, however. The newest krewe to the Lafayette scene, Krewe of Carnivale en Rio, places names in a hat at its summer party and chooses its royalty known as "Corte Real" at random. Rio's Carnival ball offers a shorter tableau featuring royalty and a themed procession, then shifts to live music and dancing for the remainder of the event.

Some krewes, such as the Krewe of Triton, hosts balls where not only royalty are presented but floats enter the indoor arena carrying costumed members who throw beads, doubloons and other trinkets to guests.