Mardi Gras is all about partying, parades, floats, music, and, of course, alcohol. People throughout the city wear the colours of New Orleans (or Crescent City, or the Big Easy (it has a lot of names)) purple, green, and gold. And adorn their bodies with beads. The parades are always crowd pleasers, and the ‘krewes - those who ride on the floats – throw trinkets into the crowds as the people yell (and occasionally flash) for more. Oh yeah, did we mention drinking? Well, it contributes significantly to the atmosphere, and deserves one more mention. So be prepared to do a lot of it.
The official start of Mardi Gras is the Twelfth Night (12th day after Christmas), January 6. The festivities conclude with Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, which is the start of the Christian tradition of Lent. Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday, on which the party is wildest, are about letting loose one last time before Lent begins. And the fun abruptly stops.
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