Mardi Gras Guide
It has officially been Mardi Gras season for a few weeks now but today is the one month mark until Mardi Gras Day. Forget Christmas, in my opinion, Mardi Gras is the most wonderful time of the year. I love the fact that so many old friends come in town for Mardi Gras, I love going to parades and how the city just shuts down and celebrates. However, if you are not properly prepared and do not plan in advance those things that I love about Mardi Gras could easily make you hate it. I recently saw a Mardi Gras guide posted on a website and I didn't feel like it gave any useful advice. If you haven't been to Mardi Gras in New Orleans you probably do not know what to expect. I certainly had no idea what I was walking into freshman year of college. If you are like me, crowds, closed roads, parking nightmares and closed businesses could ruin an experience. I am not from New Orleans and do not have family here so my MG experience is different from a locals', but after ten MGs these are some tips I have picked up.
Location, Location, Location
Where you watch the parades makes a lot of difference. Downtown is a completely different crowd than Uptown. I have always watched the parades Uptown, even when I lived Downtown and parades were a block from my apartment I still left and went Uptown. Downtown will be more crowded and more touristy aka rowdy. I do not think you could pay me enough to be on Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras. Unless you love utter chaos, I would advise you to stay away from Bourbon and the French Quarter! The further Uptown you go the more family oriented and in my opinion more fun it will be. The crowds will be a little smaller, there will be a little more room, a little easier to get a spot. In big crowds like this, it is important to stake out a spot. People will camp out overnight just to get a prime location. With all the time and effort people put into staking out their spots, it is important to make sure you are not trespassing on someone else's space. You don't need to camp out overnight but the earlier you get there the next day the more options there will be. Put your chairs, ladders (if you have them) and ice chests out and people should respect your space. If you leave any kind of room in between you and the next group, though, when the parades start, random people walking by will squeeze themselves in there! Be strategic! There is the "Sidewalk Side" and the "Neutral Ground" side. Some people are "Sidewalk" people some are "Neutral Ground" people, it does not really make any difference but I have always been on the "Neutral Ground" side. If you want to be right up close to the floats make sure you do not stand in front of a family or kids. The locals do not appreciate it and it is bad Mardi Gras etiquette. If you want a more subdued crowd or if you want to get home early stand right near the parade start. I like to watch the weekday night parades on Magazine Street right near the start. The parade ends much earlier than it would if you were watching on St. Charles. You can easily be in the front, get a lot of throws and get out of there! Sunday through Tuesday I like to be on St. Charles somewhere between Napoleon and Louisiana.
Food and Dranks
If you are visiting New Orleans for Mardi Gras, if you can, get to the grocery store and stock up on snacks, drunk food, and alcohol. Drinking all day every day for multiple days will require A LOT of alcohol and having to get to the store, later on, will be a pain. There is food for sale along the parade route, people will be grilling but almost everything will be things like hamburgers, hot dogs, jambalaya, gumbo, boudin, dirty rice. Nothing will be vegetarian unless it is some kind of dessert. It is a good idea to get an ice chest, fill it up with ice, drinks (including water!) and whatever you want to eat. You can buy drinks as well, margaritas from Superior are a Mardi Gras favorite as are daiquiris. These and a lot of the drinks for sale are usually overpriced and very sugary (awful hangover) so I like to bring my own. Mardi Gras is a marathon, not a sprint so pace yourself with the drinks, you have to keep it up not only all day but for five.
Outfits
Wearing the right clothes is important! This time of year it could be in the 40s and raining or in the high 70s and sunny. You never know. It is always a good idea to dress in layers, even if it is going to be hot and sunny during the day you will probably want another layer once the sun goes down. Fanny packs are a popular MG accessory for a reason. You should always have your hands free to hold your drink and catch beads and throws. My fanny pack has hand sanitizer or antibacterial hand wipes (important!), toilet paper, phone, sunglasses, credit card, cash and keys. A side note about sunglasses, do not wear your expensive sunglasses! I lost a pair of Ray-Bans one year and sunglasses can easily get broken. People really go all out on their costumes, especially people going to the French Quarter/Marigny parades and balls. They spend a good chunk of the year planning and making their costumes and they are pretty amazing. Besides Barkus (cutest dog parade) the smaller quirkier parades have never really been my jam. I skip the elaborate costumes and just wear a Mardi Gras t-shirt, Perlis polo and jeans. However, Mardi Gras is an excuse to wear whatever you want.
Having a bathroom plan is key! If you aren't staying along the parade route, paying for a clean port-a-potty is worth it. There are some that are $1 each time or you can pay $10 to use it as many times that day as you want. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes that you don't mind getting dirty. You will most likely be doing a lot of walking and your shoes will get dirty. Hopefully you will be staying close to the parade route but if you need to drive, parking will be tough to find. If you can't find a spot it may be worth it to pay $10-$20 to one of those guys offering a parking spot on their lawn. If you do park on the street don't be surprised if you get a parking ticket ($40) from the city. I always just think of them as my Mardi Gras donation to the city.
Mardi Gras is a bucket list item for a reason. You won't find anything else like it. It can be whatever you make of it. Go to as many or as few parades as you want, go one day or all the days. Hopefully these tips will help you have a fun and safe Mardi Gras! Le Bon Temps Roulé!
Lagniappe
Where to shop for all things Mardi Gras
Location, Location, Location
Where you watch the parades makes a lot of difference. Downtown is a completely different crowd than Uptown. I have always watched the parades Uptown, even when I lived Downtown and parades were a block from my apartment I still left and went Uptown. Downtown will be more crowded and more touristy aka rowdy. I do not think you could pay me enough to be on Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras. Unless you love utter chaos, I would advise you to stay away from Bourbon and the French Quarter! The further Uptown you go the more family oriented and in my opinion more fun it will be. The crowds will be a little smaller, there will be a little more room, a little easier to get a spot. In big crowds like this, it is important to stake out a spot. People will camp out overnight just to get a prime location. With all the time and effort people put into staking out their spots, it is important to make sure you are not trespassing on someone else's space. You don't need to camp out overnight but the earlier you get there the next day the more options there will be. Put your chairs, ladders (if you have them) and ice chests out and people should respect your space. If you leave any kind of room in between you and the next group, though, when the parades start, random people walking by will squeeze themselves in there! Be strategic! There is the "Sidewalk Side" and the "Neutral Ground" side. Some people are "Sidewalk" people some are "Neutral Ground" people, it does not really make any difference but I have always been on the "Neutral Ground" side. If you want to be right up close to the floats make sure you do not stand in front of a family or kids. The locals do not appreciate it and it is bad Mardi Gras etiquette. If you want a more subdued crowd or if you want to get home early stand right near the parade start. I like to watch the weekday night parades on Magazine Street right near the start. The parade ends much earlier than it would if you were watching on St. Charles. You can easily be in the front, get a lot of throws and get out of there! Sunday through Tuesday I like to be on St. Charles somewhere between Napoleon and Louisiana.
Food and Dranks
If you are visiting New Orleans for Mardi Gras, if you can, get to the grocery store and stock up on snacks, drunk food, and alcohol. Drinking all day every day for multiple days will require A LOT of alcohol and having to get to the store, later on, will be a pain. There is food for sale along the parade route, people will be grilling but almost everything will be things like hamburgers, hot dogs, jambalaya, gumbo, boudin, dirty rice. Nothing will be vegetarian unless it is some kind of dessert. It is a good idea to get an ice chest, fill it up with ice, drinks (including water!) and whatever you want to eat. You can buy drinks as well, margaritas from Superior are a Mardi Gras favorite as are daiquiris. These and a lot of the drinks for sale are usually overpriced and very sugary (awful hangover) so I like to bring my own. Mardi Gras is a marathon, not a sprint so pace yourself with the drinks, you have to keep it up not only all day but for five.
Outfits
Wearing the right clothes is important! This time of year it could be in the 40s and raining or in the high 70s and sunny. You never know. It is always a good idea to dress in layers, even if it is going to be hot and sunny during the day you will probably want another layer once the sun goes down. Fanny packs are a popular MG accessory for a reason. You should always have your hands free to hold your drink and catch beads and throws. My fanny pack has hand sanitizer or antibacterial hand wipes (important!), toilet paper, phone, sunglasses, credit card, cash and keys. A side note about sunglasses, do not wear your expensive sunglasses! I lost a pair of Ray-Bans one year and sunglasses can easily get broken. People really go all out on their costumes, especially people going to the French Quarter/Marigny parades and balls. They spend a good chunk of the year planning and making their costumes and they are pretty amazing. Besides Barkus (cutest dog parade) the smaller quirkier parades have never really been my jam. I skip the elaborate costumes and just wear a Mardi Gras t-shirt, Perlis polo and jeans. However, Mardi Gras is an excuse to wear whatever you want.
Having a bathroom plan is key! If you aren't staying along the parade route, paying for a clean port-a-potty is worth it. There are some that are $1 each time or you can pay $10 to use it as many times that day as you want. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes that you don't mind getting dirty. You will most likely be doing a lot of walking and your shoes will get dirty. Hopefully you will be staying close to the parade route but if you need to drive, parking will be tough to find. If you can't find a spot it may be worth it to pay $10-$20 to one of those guys offering a parking spot on their lawn. If you do park on the street don't be surprised if you get a parking ticket ($40) from the city. I always just think of them as my Mardi Gras donation to the city.
Mardi Gras is a bucket list item for a reason. You won't find anything else like it. It can be whatever you make of it. Go to as many or as few parades as you want, go one day or all the days. Hopefully these tips will help you have a fun and safe Mardi Gras! Le Bon Temps Roulé!
Lagniappe
- beware of flying beads, they hurt when they smack you in the face
- do not fight people over throws, it is not worth it
- do not flash people for beads, you can get plenty of beads just by raising your hands
- bring an extra bag to carry all your beads and throws
- Nyx and Muses (my favorite) are all-women parades, a lot of people will be wearing pinks an purples. I can't wait to see float themes inspired by this election
- make sure to have cash on you for bathrooms, parking, food, drinks
- pack water!
- if there are throws you want, stand away from the kids! they will always throw to kids over you
- download the WDSU parade tracker app, it will tell you routes, start times and delays
- Randazzo's, Dong Phuong and Sucre king cakes are delicious
- District Donuts has a king cake donut that is amazing see photo above
Where to shop for all things Mardi Gras
Comments
Post a Comment