Mardi Gras, New Orleans

During the parades:
Do
Watch them on St. Charles Street. It is a fun, laid back atmosphere with a lot of families.
DO NOT
Watch them on Canal Street. Being very close to the cess pool known as the Iderville Projects, this part of the route usually attracts a heavy criminal element.

After the parades:
Do
Go hang out on Frenchman Street or on Decatur Street near Esplanade.
DO NOT
Hang out on Bourbon Street. This over commercialized location is filled with pick-pockets and seems to completely lack the spirit and culture of the event.

*DO NOT WANDER OUTSIDE OF THE TOURIST AREAS OF THE CITY UNLESS YOU KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING* This city is extremely crime ridden. This is especially important in places like the French Quarter, where a wrong turn or wrong street will take you to the nearby Iberville Projects.

Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) is the day before Ash Wednesday, when Lent begins. Because Lent is traditionally a time when people give up rich foods and luxuries, Mardi Gras is the last day to party down, and New Orleans does it in style. The parades begin a few weeks before the actual day.

Uptown is the best place to see the parades. On Canal Street, metal police barricades prevent you from getting close to the floats, and that's a problem if you're trying to get a Zulu coconut, which is a much-prized souvenir of Mardi Gras parades.

The Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club is an all-black krewe (krewes are select groups that sponsor floats in the parades) dating back to the early 20th century. Instead of throwing beads and trinkets to the crowd, Zulu float riders give out small painted coconuts. Originally they threw the coconuts, but at one Mardi Gras, an unfortunate bystander leaned the wrong way and was knocked out by a flying coconut. Now Zulu krewe members are required to hand the coconuts to onlookers.

For more information and photographs, please see my Mardi Gras 2006 travelogue.

The official Rex site says: "The Rex Procession has been the highlight of Mardi Gras day since the Rex Organization was formed and first paraded in 1872. While there had been celebrations in many forms on Mardi Gras before that time, the Rex Parade gave a brilliant daytime focus to the festivities, and provided a perfect opportunity for Rex, King of Carnival, to greet his city and his subjects."

This is THE Mardi Gras Parade. The Parade of All Parades. And though the locals have their opinion none will dispute that Rex will always rule.

This Parade tends to be quite crowded, packed and tremendously lively -- and rightfully so. Stay away from Canal Street and and along Saint Charles (for the most part). The parade is less crowded at the end of the route -- the best place to see this one.

Visit the site I've provided for parade details.

Perhaps the parade with the longest route, Endymion could possibly be one of the largest Parades in New Orleans. Though New Orleaneans have strong opinions on which parade is above all, none can argue that this Super-Krewe provides the quintessential Mardi Gras Parade experience. "Endymion gets its name from the like-named figure of Greek mythology, the most handsome of men and the god of youth and fertility. First parading in 1967, Endymion quickly emerged as one of Carnival's 'Super-Krewes' in 1974 with the inclusion of more floats and celebrity guests."

If you're going to see one, see this one.

In the past celebrities as Drew Carey, Whoopee Goldberg, and Harry Connick, Jr have ridden the floats. In my experience, this star-studded Krewe is perhaps one of the most vibrant and well-funded Mardi Gras Krewes. Historically speaking, www.mardigrasneworleans.com says, "Founded in 1993, the Krewe of Orpheus takes its name from the musically-inclined son of Zeus and Calliope. In New Orleans, the krewe established themselves as a superkrewe with their first parade in 1994 that rolled with 700 riders, a record. Now consisting of 1,200 male and female riders, the Krewe of Orpheus will roll over the Orleans Parish featuring celebrity riders."

If you're looking to catch a glimpse of a celebrity this is the parade to go to. Maybe they'll even throw you a dabloon.

The best place to see this parade is on St. Charles because it tends to be less crowded than the downtown portion of the route.

4 more images

Mardi Gras is winding down as I write. Our dispirited community has gathered itself together for its annual frenzy, many times the energy of last year. Yey two blocks from where these pictures were taken are lines of FEMA trilers and recent tornado-destroyed houses some of which were under repair! The last parade forms around the corner from my home along the central ground of S. Claiborne Avenue, and it is a Truck Parade for the common folk. Last year there were only 14 trucks but this year we lost count around 100. The theme was supposedly related to eduction and civic pride but sometimes we could not see the connection. Nobody seems to have looked at my 2006 Tip probably because i put it under CUSTOMS, so I will try under Things to Do (one more time). I am sure that New Orleans is nothing more than a dwindling fond memory, return will be as long delayed as the promised Federal money.

Party lasted all night long. Strings of beads were thrown to the audience of the parade. We managed to catch quite a few. Though there were no King and Queen of Mardi Gras or get to meet the famous Harry Connick Jr, we had the time of our lives that forever will be engraved in our memories.

You can get tickets to most of the balls. We went to the Endymion ball this year, and had a wonderful time. To break up the mardi gras days of hanging outside at the parades, or at the balls, this is a great night. For 1-200 dollars, you order food, bring your own liquor, dress in gown and tux, and paarty! The greatest part, your parade ENDS at your party! All of the floats come through, and you fill bag after bag of beads! Front row seats! The crowd is going wild and the music is great. We had Marisa Tomei and the guy from Kiss as the grand marshalls, and Hootie and the Blowfish, and the GO GOS for music! Many other bands as well. Dance the night away in style!

for many people, Mard Gras in itself is enough reason to visit New Orleans.

Over the holiday the streets becoming packed with people celebrating, carnival processions and food stalls. During the night the partying goes on, in fact it probably even elevates. A not too uncommon sight are half naked ladies on balconies calling to the crowds below.

During this festival the sights, smells, tastes and experiences of New Orleans are at their best.

4 more images

I was in New Orleans at Easter the first time, and this time in December, so of course could not attend Mardi Gras.

But our hotel information person told us we could ride across to Algiers on the ferry (free for pedestrians) and go to Mardi Gras World and see the floats. So on our last day in New Orleans, we crossed to Algiers.

On the New Orleans side where the pedestrians get off, the ferry terminal has 6 signs like these two which tell the history of the Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

#1 says that it was a European custom involving sugar coated almonds. (My picture is blurry so I can't read it all)

#2 Explains that in 1857, a group of men formed a secret society called the Mystick Krewe of Comus and had the first parade on Februrary 24th and used flambeauxs to light the procession.

#3 talks about the Krewe of Rex formed in 1872 -- principally to honor the visiting Grand Duke Alexis Romanoff of Russia. The Krewe of Rex gave Mardi Gras the colors, song, flag, and a half holiday.

#4 tells about the black carnival clubs of which Zulu was the first to march and says that Louis Armstrong was honored as King Zulu in 1949.

The first of the two pictured talked about the "Superkrewes" such as Bacchus and Endymion that were formed in the 60s and 70s .

The last one says, Mardi Gras in the suburbs of New Orleans has grown through the years to bring carnival revelry throughout the metropolitan area. Today, suburban krewes enable families to enjoy the spectacle of flats, gands, marching groups and shout "Throw me somethin' mister!" in their own neighborhood.