Fat Tuesday is officially TODAY so we thought we’d celebrate the occasion with some of the festive and fun decorations we saw last month before we headed out ahead of the big snowstorm that hit the southern town. While a little snow doesn’t faze us too much, New Orleans is wholly unprepared for something which happens only once every few decades, so we felt it best to head west to Austin a bit early, but not before walking around various parts of town (along with a visit to Mardi Gras World, where most of the parade floats are made) to see how everyone adorned their homes and yards.
The city decorated for every conceivable holiday before it was cool, and while the trees along St. Charles are decorated year-round by far-flung beads from high-up floats, residents take care to share their own excitement for the upcoming festivities.
We interrupt this post with a PSA: Please for the love of all that’s holy, do not let the first time you visit NOLA be during the craziness of Mardi Gras! Or Jazz Fest for that matter. Especially if crowds are not your thing. Or if you like to eat (and if you don’t like to eat, what are you doing even coming to N’awlins) because every white cloth and hole-in-the-wall restaurant is fuller than crab-stuffed beignet.
Seriously, just don’t do it.
Even though we’ve never lived in New Orleans, we still wanted to get in the Mardi Gras spirit, so several years ago, I made our own Mardi Gras wreath. Sadly, we don’t have the storage room in Ellie to keep it with us, but we look forward to hanging it again with pride one day!
Images from Mardi Gras World, where most of the parade floats are hand-made over the year:
