| MARDI GRAS INFORMATION |
| * New Orleans * MARDI GRAS KREWE LINKS Bacchus Caesar Endymion Krewe D'Etat Krewe du Vieux Mid-City Morpheus Muses Orpheus Pegasus Pontchartrain Rex Saturn Shangrila Tucks Zulu |
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| Mardi Gras, the greatest FREE show on Earth. Well, it's not free for the Krewes that parade down the street, or free as far as city services are concerned - but...for the average parade WATCHER, it is absolutely free. Krewes (the organizations that put on the 40+ different parades) throw bead necklaces of all shapes, colors and sizes; dubloons (metal coins that are stamped with the Krewe's name, the year of the parade, and that year's theme) of all colors; plastic "tumbler" cups that also bear the Krewe's name, insignia, year, and parade theme; candy, moonpies, snacks; toys and stuffed animals. It's highly recommended that you bring a shopping bag (or two!) or something of similar size for all the "throws" that you will be catching, and you can easily expect to fill up a bag for each parade if you actively participate in the catching of "throws". Having a young child is a BIG plus too as they are "bead/stuffed animal MAGNETS"...Krewe's just love throwing to the little ones. I would like to point out a common misperception that surrounds Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras is a FAMILY EVENT. Those "girls gone wild" videos that they sell on late night tv commercials are NOT representative of Mardi Gras, only the night action on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. Mardi Gras float parades do NOT take place in the French Quarter. You can see the parades in Uptown New Orleans, the Central Business District, the Lower Garden District, the Garden District, Mid-City, Metairie, the West Bank, and on the North Shore. "Flashing" (exposing private parts) on a parade route is ILLEGAL and NOT tolerated. The flashing that has been portrayed by the media is ONLY tolerated on Bourbon Street, a primarily adult area of town. I really just wanted to point that out as so many people I've spoken with really have the wrong impression about Mardi Gras, and when they see a Mardi Gras parade, it's nothing like they expected - it's a family event that is filled with fun, friends and family. For more information on Mardi Gras, the Krewes that make up Mardi Gras, the history of Mardi Gras, or anything else pertaining to this fabulous celebration, see the links below: |
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| Thanks to everyone who participated in my 2003 Mardi Gras Poll. 2003 Best parades were as follows: Muses received 20 votes Rex received 13 votes Le Krewe D'Etat received 11 votes |