French Quarter poles are ‘quite old,’ New Orleans police say ahead of the Super Bowl. Don’t topple them.
A New Orleans hotel does famously "grease" its poles for Mardi Gras but authorities did not say if they'll follow suit as Eagles fans descend onto the city for the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl host New Orleans is no stranger to thousands of out-of-town revelers descending upon the city, and authorities there did not balk when asked if they would be greasing their poles. They pointed out that an annual pole-greasing party hosted by a hotel in the French Quarter is how the city kicks off Mardi Gras.
Still, the Vaseline bucket is specific to the Royal Sonesta New Orleans on Bourbon Street and requires the public’s assistance — it’s treated as a competition to see who can do it best.
A New Orleans Police Department spokesperson did not say whether the city would go ahead and grease the city’s poles. The city is in the final stages of making a guide for Super Bowl visitors, and more security details are scheduled to be made public Wednesday. Already, the NFL and federal law enforcement have vowed to ramp up security measures following a New Year’s Day attack on Bourbon Street that left 14 revelers dead and dozens more injured.
But one thing is certain: New Orleans police spokesperson Barry Fletcher said climbing a pole can cost you, especially in a place like the historic French Quarter.
“Regarding climbing street light poles, that is not only illegal (trespassing) but is unsafe as many of the street light poles in the French Quarter are quite old,” Fletcher said in an email. “Climbing on them risks toppling the light pole.”
Beyond the obvious injury revelers risk by climbing atop a pole, Fletcher said climbers can be criminally charged and forced to pay for the damage. Those support poles for balconies that line the French Quarter are also off-limits. Those are private property.
» READ MORE: Greased pole climbing in Philly: Why we do it and why we love it
Eagles fans and the Philadelphia tradition of climbing light poles, bus shelters, mailboxes — really anything — amid victory tends to catch national media attention when our teams make it to the big stage. While the practice is goofy and fun, it has led to serious injury. Just this weekend, an 18-year-old fell from a pole and is now on life support, said Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore.
When the Birds headed to the Super Bowl in Arizona in 2023, officials in Phoenix and in Glendale, the home of State Farm Stadium, appeared to be caught off-guard by the idea of potential climbers. The Valley Metro transit system famously discouraged climbing light-rail station poles because the catenary wires carried electricity.
“You will be a fried Eagle,” shot the system at the time.
With the Eagles losing that Super Bowl, Phoenix and Glendale had little to worry about.
New Orleans, however, has seen it all. The annual Royal Sonesta pole greasing dates back to the 1970s and was conceived as a cautionary measure to address the most ardent Mardi Gras participants who insisted on climbing the hotel’s balcony support poles.
These days, the Royal Sonesta has fun with the tradition, inviting bands and locals. Participants in elaborate costumes compete to see who can grease the poles the best. Videos of the celebration can be found online, but be warned: Many competitors are silly and suggestive.
The Royal Sonesta did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding its pole greasing ahead of the Super Bowl. For its part, Philly did not grease its poles in Center City ahead of Sunday’s NFC championship. Instead, the city opted to build makeshift corrals. The city has yet to say if it will grease or corral before the Super Bowl.