It’s no secret—New Orleans loves to party. From Mardi Gras and carnival season to Jazz Fest and a seemingly endless list of other New Orleans events throughout the year, any time is the right time to plan a New Orleans vacation if you’re looking for a reason to celebrate and let the good times roll. There are more than a dozen New Orleans festivals annually; here are a few highlights, starting with information for those planning a Mardi Gras vacation.
Rollin’ With the Good Times at Mardi Gras
Carnival History
Mardi Gras (“Fat Tuesday” in French) is the last day before Lent, the final opportunity for feasting and partying before getting serious in the days before Easter. But the celebration itself has roots in pagan rituals marking the end of winter and the beginning of spring.
Mardi Gras in New Orleans dates back to the early days of the city’s founding, in the late 17th century. Parading for Mardi Gras was begun by a group of people who formed the Mystick Krewe of Comus in 1857. After the Civil War, more and more groups formed to parade during carnival season—resulting in today’s massive celebration.
Mardi Gras Schedule
Carnival season begins on Jan. 6. (Twelfth Night) each year, the day that marks the end of the Christmas season and starts the march towards Lent. Since 1870, the Twelfth Night Revelers have kicked off the season on this night with a masked ball. They share the evening with the Phunny Phorty Phellows, who ride along the St. Charles Avenue streetcar line and announce the beginning of carnival season. The parades, balls and other festivities gradually ramp up from Twelfth Night to Mardi Gras, with the real action beginning two weeks before Mardi Gras—always the Tuesday 47 days before Easter and one day before Ash Wednesday (in 2009, Mardi Gras is on Feb. 24).
Mardi Gras for Families
Mardi Gras is much more of a family event than what you see on Cops, and Bourbon Street in the French Quarter can be avoided without giving up a great time.
Along the parade route, local parents often sit with their children on the same corner their parents took them to when they were kids. Families grab coolers, ladders and neighbors, and hit the sidewalks in costume to check out the parades. The best ways for families to participate in the Mardi Gras experience is near the Upper Garden District areas of the parade routes (not as they get closer to Canal Street or in the Central Business District) and the Barkus parade.
Send in the Krewes!
Krewes are groups of people whose members organize and participate in carnival parades and balls. Their membership fees and individual support pay for the parades, so there’s no commercial sponsorship. More traditional, or old-line krewes (Rex is the oldest of this group), have balls where they elect their annual carnival king and queen from their own membership. Some more recently established groups are referred to as Super Krewes (such as Endymion, Bacchus and Orpheus), and have huge parties after their parades in place of the balls. Super Krewes also tend to have celebrity kings. The only “King of Mardi Gras” is Rex; other kings are merely kings of their krewes.
Mardi Gras Parades
While St. Charles Avenue in the Uptown area of New Orleans is regularly referred to as the parade route, that doesn’t mean every parade takes place there. Some routes are in Mid-City, Downtown, Metairie and the West Bank. To keep yourself from showing up in the wrong place, check the Mardi Gras schedule and maps before you head out.
Beads and King Cakes
Those who stand close enough to the street during the parade may come away with some cool trinkets, called “throws.” From simple strings of Mardi Gras beads (often referred to as “tree beads,” because people tend to throw them up into trees) to plastic cups to doubloons, elaborate medallion beads and the painted coconuts of Zulu, a wealth of carnival booty is yours for the taking. Step on the throw you’re claiming if it lands in the street. and watch your head—zinging cups and medallion beads can hurt.
-
Mardi Gras Indians spend an extrordinary amount of time and money to make their ornate costumes.
nola.agent
One of my favorite carnival traditions is the king cake—a sweet oval pastry with icing in Mardi Gras colors (purple, green and gold). You can almost get cavities just by looking at one. The Mardi Gras king cake tradition came from French settlers and was used in 1870 by the Twelfth Night Revelers to choose the queen of their ball—something they’ve done ever since. The first king cakes of the season emerge from bakeries across the city on Twelfth Night. Inside each king cake is a pink, plastic baby. Whoever gets the piece of cake with the baby (chew carefully) is responsible for buying the next cake.
Other Mardi Gras Highlights
Besides the Mardi Gras parades, there are other wonderful highlights of the carnival season. Here are some of my favorites:
Mardi Gras Indians. African-American Mardi Gras Indians began “masking” as early as the mid-19th century, in costumes inspired by Native American designs. Their suits—dripping with feathers, sequins, faux gemstones, pearls, cowrie shells, velvet, satin and other materials—take the better part of a year to construct (all by hand), can weigh up to 150 pounds and cost thousands of dollars to assemble. If you miss them during the festival, catch the spectacular display of costumes year-round at the Backstreet Cultural Museum.
-
Mardi Gras goes to the dogs.
Courtesy of the New Orleans Metropolitan CVB
Krewe du Vieux. Known for its satire and mule-drawn floats, the Krewe du Vieux parade roams in costume through the lower French Quarter and nearby Faubourg Marigny. The full name of the group is Krewe du Vieux Carré—named for their parade grounds, the French Quarter. The 2009 parade takes place on Feb. 7, themed: “Krewe du Vieux’s Stimulus Package.” It’ll definitely take your mind off the economy for the evening.
Mystic Krewe of Barkus. A fanciful dog parade (where most are in costume), Barkus is a must-see event. The 2009 parade (with the theme “Battmutt: The Bark Knight”) is on Feb. 15, and begins at Louis Armstrong Park, near the French Quarter. Barkus donates ball profits and parade registration fees to animal welfare groups.
Next: Other Notable New Orleans Festivals
Comments
1 Comments on this article | read all commentsby DC on February 17, 2009
Feast of Festivals I'll admit, media coverage of Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras made me not want to go. But knowing that I can still participate in Mardi Gras while avoiding Bourbon Street is great.