Krewe of Chewbacchus kicks off its 2015 season

The 2014 Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus parade lineup earlier this year was pure nerd nirvana. Weaving through the enormous crowd were representatives from all facets of fandom. Hobbits huddled together for warmth. Whovians put their sonic screwdrivers aside to hug, and unicorns left shimmering trails behind as glitter descended from their costumes like snow.

The NOLA nerd revelry begins again this weekend, as Chewbacchus kicks off its 2015 season with the biggest book release party this side of the galaxy.

“At the heart of it all, it's a throwback to ancient forms of Carnival.”—Ryan S. Ballard, Chewbacchus co-founder

The krewe"s moniker is a cosmic combination of Bacchanalian excess with sci-fi and fantasy themes.

Founded by Ryan S. Ballard, Kirah Haubrich and Brett Powers, the first Chewbacchus parade rolled in 2011. The organization has since expanded to over 1,000 members (known as ChewbacchanALIENs) who create their own marching club motifs, ranging from the Star Wars universe to the world of H. P. Lovecraft.

Chewbacchus is comprised of “in-house, community-building efforts,” Ballard said. All costumes and contraptions are painstakingly handcrafted by the satirical space krewe.

The party on Friday (Nov. 7) will ring in the 2015 parade theme, “The Cult of the Sacred Drunken Wookiee,” by officially releasing the krewe"s new scripture, The Book of the Wook.

“It"s a krewe-sourced coloring book with about 150 entries,” said Ballard.

Curated by Ballard and krewe member Martin Childs, the collection of line drawings, hymns and poems is condensed to 42 pages. The book will be available for purchase from 8 p.m. until 10 p.m. at the Frenchmen Street Art Market, while Some Metry Guy provides musical entertainment. From 11 p.m. until 2 a.m., the celebration continues at Maison on Frenchmen Street.

Both portions of the party are open to the public, and admission to the Maison event is $5.