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    KREWE OF CLEOPATRA

    RULES, CONDUCT & SAFETY POLICY

    The following is the Krewe of Cleopatra’s (the “Krewe”) policy with respect to conduct of, and safety for, float riders and for members at Krewe functions, including but not limited to the Krewe Coronation Ball, Krewe Rendezvous Ball, Parade, pre and post parade parties, meetings, luncheons, and other functions (“Krewe Functions”). The reading, understanding and acknowledgment of this Policy is a prerequisite to participation in the Parade or other Krewe Functions. Failure to acknowledge this policy shall result in a member being prohibited from riding in the parade without exception and/or participating in other Krewe Functions. A member must always conduct herself as a lady, in accordance with Krewe rules, regulations, policies, and traditions, including, but not limited to, this Krewe Rules, Conduct, and Safety Policy. Accordingly:

    MEMBERSHIP:

      1. Members must be 18 years of age or older by the date of the parade to apply for membership.
      2. Membership Dues and fees are nonrefundable.
      3. Membership in the Krewe is strictly personal and not transferable or inheritable. Although the Krewe currently permits a riding member to allow a female guest to ride in her place, provided the substitute rules are followed, this allowance does not constitute a right of membership, and the Krewe reserves the right to prohibit or limit substitute riders in the future.
      4. All substitute riders must be registered with the Krewe in the manner prescribed by the Krewe prior to riding.
      5. The Krewe member permitting a substitute to ride in her place is responsible for paying the administrative substitution fee imposed by the Krewe, which is currently set at $225.00. No member may charge a substitute more than the actual amount spent by the member for dues and throws.
      6. Should the Krewe or any member be unable to parade due to bad weather, and if the state, city, or parish does not allow a rain-out date, no refund of dues shall be issued.
      7. Should the Krewe or any member be unable to ride due to mechanical failure of a float, no refund of dues shall be issued.
      8. Should the Krewe or any  member be unable to parade due to local, city, parish, state, federal governmental mandate, policy, direct or indirect action, or any unforeseen occurrence, no refund of dues shall be issued.

    BEHAVIOR AND SAFETY:

    BEHAVE YOURSELF AND BE SAFE WHILE RIDING!

      1. A rider must be in good health to ride. It is the rider’s responsibility to determine whether they are capable of riding or should be riding in the Krewe parade or participating in Krewe Functions whether due to health or safety reasons. In the event of any question regarding a rider’s health, it will be necessary for her to produce a doctor’s communication note certifying that she is sufficiently healthy to ride.
      2. No one may smoke on a float or in the den! Floats and throw packaging are flammable! No one may use e-cigarettes or vapes on the float either.
      3. Each rider must wear a safety harness always tied to the float and must remain in her assigned position during the parade (except when using the float’s toilet). A rider cannot change her position on the float without the concurrence of the Float Lieutenant, and cannot ride in any place on the float not designated for riders (i.e. railings, top of float, props, etc.). Each new rider will be provided with a safety harness by her Float Lieutenant for the rider’s protection and safety. Each returning rider is responsible for supplying their own safety harness previously issued by the Krewe. At the end of the parade, please keep your safety harness for future Krewe parades. Any rider that misplaces their safety harness in the future will need to purchase an additional safety harness from the Krewe.
      4. Riders may not board or exit the float until both (i) the float is completely stopped, and (ii) the tractor driver opens the gate and permits riders to board or exit the float.
      5. Public drinking on floats is strictly prohibited. Riders must not consume alcoholic beverages on floats, nor ride while visibly intoxicated.
      6. Food may be consumed on the float discreetly, out of public view.
      7. Riders may not throw items from their float positions until the float begins traveling on the official parade route (turned off of Tchoupitoulas Street and onto Napoleon Ave).
      8. Throws may only be thrown directly to the side of floats and not thrown towards the front of the float or towards the back of the float.
      9. All throwing must stop once the float crosses Poydras Street at the end of the official parade Route.
      10. Only Krewe members, substitutes, authorized personnel, and official guest riders are permitted on floats.
      11. Riders may not disembark from the float once their harness is on. Riders must remain on their float until the parade concludes.DO NOT GET OFF FLOAT UNTIL PARADE IS FINISHED!
      12. WIGS, HARNESSES & FACE MASKS
        • Members found without masks or wigs on floats may face fines and/or expulsion.
        • Wearing masks is mandated by Louisiana law (edited).
        • Wigs, harnesses, and face (eye) masks must be worn at all times on floats.
        • There are cameras everywhere in the crowds, and social media posts have made this rule more important than ever to follow.
      13. Riders must respect and follow directives from their respective Float Lieutenants and report rule violations or problems directly to her.
      14. Advertising or signage on floats is strictly prohibited.
      15. Strictly prohibited activities include:
        • Taunting parade viewers (or any member of the public) either by word or gesture or other manner;
        • Engaging, appearing or participating in sexually explicit or oriented behaviors, indecent, lewd and/or obscene conduct, or other such activity;
        • Rowdy or unruly conduct;
        • Possession on the float or throwing from the float (i) commercial items (ii) items from another entity (iii) sexually explicit or oriented, indecent, lewd and/or obscene devices or items. (A rider may only throw authorized Krewe items and/or generic throws except as prohibited herein.);

      16. THROWING BRANDED OR OTHER PROHIBITED ITEMS IS NOT PERMITTED:

        Prohibited throws are banned from all Cleopatra Events, including but not limited to, the Parade, the Rendezvous Ball, any parade day activities and parties (pre-parade party and after party).Prohibited throws include, but are not limited to: sharp objects, discount coupons, political/religious materials, obscene items, commercial items unrelated to the Krewe, and discarded boxes.

        • The only branded items that are allowed to be thrown are Krewe of Cleopatra purchased throws!
        • No throws that are advertisements for a business organization or person are allowed.
        • No throws that are political, religious, or sexual, or that are lewd or crude, or are offensive to any religious group, racial group or nationality are allowed.  We are a family friendly organization.
        • No spears, no fireworks, no silly string, and no alcohol throws.
        • No Hula Hoops (large or small, regular or light up).
        • No food (perishable or non-perishable).
        • No confetti, confetti hand cannons, streamers, or poppers of any kind or material are allowed to be loaded on the floats, nor can they be set off while on the floats or during the parade at any time.
      17. No rider may have more than 30 signature glasses as throws.
      18. PLASTIC BAGS & GARBAGE:
        • Throwing garbage, plastic bags, boxes from floats is prohibited by New Orleans city ordinance.
        • Do not throw plastic bags or garbage of any kind off the floats!  Boxes are not allowed on floats and may not be thrown off floats. Please keep all plastic bead wrappers and garbage on the float in an empty bead bag.

    WEAR THE REQUIRED COSTUME:

      1. All riders must continuously wear Krewe-issued masks, wigs, and costumes during the parade.
      2. Masks must never be removed publicly. Minor alterations for comfort are permitted; substantial changes to the mask or costume appearance are strictly prohibited.
      3. Costumes cannot be altered or shortened beyond mid-thigh or covered except by clear rain gear.
      4. Warm clothing under costumes is permitted if solid black, white, or nude without logos or images.

    LOAD YOUR FLOAT CORRECTLY AND SAFELY:

      1. No third party vendors may load float positions or enter the float den.
      2. Only riders or other Krewe authorized personnel are allowed on the float at any time.  Any other persons may be ejected summarily from the float.
      3. No one may alter the float in any manner or affix anything to it, including nails, screws, hooks, troughs, buckets, bead racks, or cup holders, without the authorization of the third-party float builder and/or Krewe prior to the parade.
      4. Throws should be stacked and positioned so that each rider has adequate space to stand throughout the parade. Each rider is allocated a certain amount of space. Please do not infringe on your fellow riders’ space.
      5. No throws may cover any artwork on the float, including throws hanging over the sides of the float. No throws may hang from or cover any of the light bulbs.
      6. Riders must clean and remove all personal trash during float loading.
      7. The float loading dates and times will be distributed to the riders before the parade.  Riders must adhere to designated times. Riders may not enter the float loading area until permitted.

    PROHIBITION ON PROFITING: 

    No Krewe member may profit directly or indirectly from selling or transferring goods, tickets, memberships, or float positions associated with Krewe activities. Violations subject members to disciplinary action. This prohibition expressly includes, but is not limited to, the following:

      1. Sale of Goods: Members shall not profit from the sale or resale of goods intended for use during the Krewe of Cleopatra Parade or any Krewe-related events. Goods subject to this restriction include, without limitation, throws, merchandise, costumes, wigs, masks, harnesses, or any other physical items purchased, acquired, or intended for use in association with Krewe activities.
      2. Event Tickets: Members are prohibited from profiting by selling or reselling tickets to Krewe-sponsored or Krewe-related events. This restriction applies to all events organized, sponsored, or officially associated with the Krewe.
      3. Float Positions: Members shall not profit from the sale, resale, transfer, or exchange of float positions, including any positions allocated to or occupied by a member, substitute rider, or any other party.

    PROTECT THE KREWE NAME, LOGOS AND PRIVACY:

      1. Any members list (including float lists) are only for personal use, and members may not share the information with others or use it for any business, political, non-profit or other purposes other than for official Krewe business.
      2. Members may not distribute commercial information at Krewe Functions.
      3. No member may fabricate, duplicate, or sell any item bearing the words “Cleopatra” (other than signature throw glasses) without the permission of the Krewe. Such requests can be made to the Captain in writing. If the Captain approves, in writing, of any such item and it is sold, the Krewe shall receive all financial benefits of the sale.
      4. Any discussion of Krewe policies, Emails, website live-chats, business, text messages, events, dues, any other Krewe-related activities, or other Krewe communications of any kind in public forums is prohibited. Members may not share publicly, post online, or forward to any third party the content of communications, notices, policies, or any other Krewe related activities.  It is prohibited to share any communications of any kind from the Krewe with non-members. No member or substitute may use or permit the use of still or video images taken during official Krewe events for commercial purposes. You can post on social media. You can’t be followed by a camera crew.  No member or substitute may share communications from the Krewe.
      5. The Krewe of Cleopatra logo is trademarked. Duplication is not allowed. Any request to use the logo must be put in writing to the Krewe Captain. Only the Krewe Captain can approve such requests.

    FINES & PENALTIES:

    Any violation of one or more of the aforementioned rules and regulations shall subject the offending Krewe member to disciplinary actions at the discretion of the Krewe of Cleopatra. Such disciplinary actions may include, without limitation, fines, suspension of membership privileges for a period of up to {1} year, or permanent expulsion from the Krewe, depending upon the nature and severity of the violation.

    All disciplinary determinations shall be made following a review conducted by the Captain of the Krewe of Cleopatra. Members subject to disciplinary action may submit an appeal by providing a written Request for Disciplinary Review, which must be forwarded to the Captain by the member’s Float Lieutenant within {60} days from the date the penalty or fine was issued.

    Upon receiving a timely and properly submitted appeal, the Captain shall review and issue a final decision. The outcome of the appeal will be communicated in writing to the appealing member’s Float Lieutenant. All decisions rendered by the Captain through this appeals process shall be final, binding, and not subject to further review or appeal.

    ENFORCEMENT RIGHTS:

      1. The New Orleans Police Department, or such other enforcement agency, may remove a rider violating laws from a float during the parade. Such enforcement personnel may even remove an entire float from the parade.
      2. Members may be held responsible for the rule violations of their substitute riders and will be required to pay their fines.
      3. The Krewe may bar a rule violator from participating in the parade or remove her during the parade.
      4. No member or substitute rider who owes the Krewe money for any reason will be allowed to participate in the parade.
      5. There is no guarantee of a particular float assignment.
      6. Once paid, dues and fees are non-refundable.
      7. Event tickets and throw purchases (individual throw orders, package orders and payment plan packages) are non refundable.
      8. The Krewe may impose a fine, suspend, or terminate the membership of any member that violates Krewe rules or policies or fails to pay amounts due.
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