The annual Southern Decadence parade is always a hoot, with dozens of nutty New Orleans marching groups and dance troupes, plus drag queens and random risqué costumers aplenty. It’s a celebration of New Orleans’ laissez-faire lifestyle, a shot in the arm for French Quarter businesses during the summer tourist drought, and more.

As those of us who try never to miss the event can tell you, Southern Decadence is not just a parade, it’s also an opportunity to work on a tan, while sweating it out in the open-air-sauna atmosphere of late August in New Orleans.

But this year, things might be a bit cooler, because organizers have arranged for the sultry spectacle to get started on Aug. 31 at 5 p.m., three hours later than past parades, in hopes of skipping the hottest, sunniest part of the after

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