Once again, the funky Boston-based Revolutionary Snake Ensemble, led by saxophonist/composer Ken Field, will journey to New Orleans in February to take part in the Big Easy’s Mardi Gras festivities. This will be the RSE’s sixth annual pilgrimage to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. As usual, the band will travel aboard the Amtrak Crescent train (dubbed the Mardi Gras Train, by Amtrak), and they’ll be jamming for pretty much the entire 30-hour duration of the trip. The good news here is that anyone wishing to make the trip with them is welcome and warmly invited to do so. Here’s the basic itinerary:

The Amtrak Crescent, Train #19, departs from New York City’s Penn Station on Thursday, February 11 at 2:15 p.m., and arrives in New Orleans on Friday, February 12 at approximately 7:40 p.m. Return trips to Manhattan are available daily. The band plans to return on either the following Wednesday or Thursday morning, arriving in NYC mid-afternoon the following day.

Between arriving in and departing from New Orleans, you’ll be free to do as you like — and no doubt they’ll be much there that you’ll like doing. (And, incidental to all the fun you’ll be having, you’ll also be helping a city very much in need of help.) As for the band, on Monday they’ll march six miles with the famed Krewe of Orpheus, eventually joining the OrpheusCapade ball at the Convention Center. The following day is Mardi Gras. Again, you can take a train back to New York the next morning or Thursday morning or whenever suits you. In any event, note that you’ll have to make your own arrangements for accommodations in New Orleans.

For more information about the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble, go to http://fieldk.home.att.net/rse/ and http://fieldk.home.att.net/. To learn more about the trip to New Orleans, go to http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=163709043257. To make reservations for the trip, contact Amtrak online at http://amtrak.com or by phone at 1-800-USA-RAIL.

Photo credit: Lisa Dragani