The Night the Crowns Changed Hands
The room was already full when the ceremony began.
Dressed in their finest, the New Orleans Black Deaf Advocates had gathered at the Harahan Lions Club on January 31, 2026 for something their community looks forward to every year. The NOBDA Mardi Gras Ball is not just a party. It is a passing of honor. A celebration of identity. A room full of people who show up for each other, year after year, in a city that knows how to mark its moments.
Our studio was there when the crowns changed hands.
A Community That Shows Up for Each Other
NOBDA serves and advocates for Black Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals and families across Greater New Orleans. Their Mardi Gras Ball is more than a celebration. It is a statement of presence. Walking into that room, that much was clear from the start.
The Ceremony: When the Crowns Changed Hands
The centerpiece of the evening was the crowning ceremony. The outgoing 2025 King and Queen stood before the room, crowns in hand, ready to pass them forward. And then they did — placing those crowns on the heads of the newly named 2026 King and Queen in front of everyone who had come out to witness it.
It is the kind of moment that reminds you why this work matters. A passing of honor from one leader to the next, with a whole community dressed in their finest gathered around them.
The 2025 King holds the crown moments before the passing of the reign.
The outgoing 2025 King and Queen
crowns in hand, ready to pass the honor forward.
After the Ceremony: The Celebration Begins
Once the crowns were placed, the evening opened up. Dinner, conversation, laughter, and dancing filled the room well into the night. Guests celebrated the new reign, caught up with people they had not seen in a while, and did exactly what New Orleans does best. They lived in the moment.
Those are honestly some of our favorite photographs to make. Not just the formal ones, but the candid ones. The table full of laughter. The reunion across a crowded room. The energy of a night that meant something to the people in it.
Bringing Gallery-Quality Coverage to New Orleans Events
Crescent Lens provides full-evening event coverage for galas, balls, formal celebrations, and community events across Greater New Orleans. Every session is delivered through a private gallery with professional editing, because every evening like this one deserves to be remembered at its best.
If your organization is planning an event in 2026, we would love to be part of it.