As Mardi Gras season comes to a close, Southern Miss senior Gianna Milanese is celebrating an unforgettable experience after being crowned Queen Venus XL of the Krewe of Neptune for the 2025 season.
Milanese, chosen to lead the largest Mardi Gras celebration on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, selected six maids to join her in the festivities. The maids were her lifelong and college friends, accompanying her throughout the celebrations.
The Krewe of Neptune hosted several events leading up to the final ball, held at the Mississippi Coast Convention Center on Feb. 22. This year's theme, “Neptune After Dark,” featured the maids portraying characters such as Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Juliet. Months of planning went into the event, with Milanese and her maids preparing costumes and coordinating festivities.
“It was a lot of hard work and a lot of preparation for months and months and months in advance,” Milanese said. “To see it happen in the moment, it all paid off, and to see everybody having so much fun and getting to have your friends from college come down and celebrate with you and family and other friends, that made it all worth it in the end.”
The weekend leading up to the ball included rehearsals, gift exchanges, photos, and parties. A cocktail party on the eve of the ball set the stage for the court’s formal announcement.
On the day of the ball, festivities began at 7 p.m., with Milanese and her court presented to a crowd of more than 2,000 attendees.
“Everybody is presented to the whole crowd, and there were over 2,000 people there this year, so a really big group,” Milanese said.
During the event, court members paid tribute to past royalty, officers, family, and friends before being presented as the official court for the year.
“They call it like the biggest party on the coast when it comes to Mardi Gras because there are so many people there,” Milanese said.
The experience held special significance for Milanese, whose father served as a past king of the krewe.
“When we finally found out, it was like a whole 360 moment for him, like this is something that he’s always wanted me to do,” Milanese said. “Now that I was finally the age and I could do it, and I got it and got to be it, it was very personal and surreal and made this experience 10 times more personal.”
Milanese expressed gratitude for the once-in-a-lifetime experience, recalling the moment she was introduced as queen.
“I remember when they said my name as queen and I walked out from the curtain, and 2,000 people stood up and were looking at me and were clapping and cheering for me as I walked what felt like a mile up to the stage and saluting everybody,” Milanese said. “It just really almost brought tears to my eyes because I was so happy and so in the moment to know that there’s all these people here and they’re watching me and getting to represent this amazing krewe that so many people are here for.”
The celebrations concluded with the Krewe of Neptune's parade in downtown Biloxi on March 1, where Milanese and the krewe rode through the streets, passing out beads and marking the end of Mardi Gras season.
