This year's Mardi Gras is expected to be one of the biggest ever

It’s sometimes called the Greatest Free Show on Earth, but Mardi Gras is poised to translate into big profits for New Orleans-area hotels this year.

Largely because the season starts so late, Carnival is shaping up to be the biggest in years for the tourism industry, hotel operators say. “This is the best I’ve seen,” said Fred Sawyers, general manager of the Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel, who has been with the hotel for seven years.

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Mardi Gras Preparation

Beads. Parades. Friends. Fun. These are just some of the things that come to mind when Mardi Gras season comes around. I’ve been parading and going to Mardi Gras since I was a little kid. Some of the things I’ve learned about preparing for Mardi Gras have been learned over several years. But what if you’re not a “Mardi Gras” type person? What if you’re coming from out of town? Is this your first year? Here are some things to remember when preparing for Mardi Gras:

Wear Comfortable Shoes: I know you’ll want to look good when you go to parades or strutting down
Bourbon but remember to wear comfortable shoes. You won’t realize it but you’ll be doing a lot of walking. When you’re having fun, walking 12 blocks is nothing but when you’re walking back to your car: tired, hungry, and thirsty those shoes will come in handy.

Beads & Beer: I can not stress this enough. DO NOT; I repeat…DO NOT wear a bunch of beads around your neck while holding a plastic cup with beer in it. This may sound funny but it screams the word: Tourist. Criminals know this and you’re more likely to be a target for a crime resulting in an unpleasant night. Once all your beads are caught and the parade is over, put them in a bag to carry them back with you.

Invest In Easily Package Items: I’m talking about foldable chairs, tablets, or even tents that you can pack away easily and carry with you. Parades often don’t start on time or a float will go down; leaving you standing there for hours upon end. Yes, you may not feel like carrying these things but they will come in handy.

Pick A One Block Area For Your “Spot”: If you’re going to a parade, scope out an area within a one block radius as your “spot”. The spot is where you will be setting up shop to catch the parade. It’s a bad idea to say “Oh we’ll just find somewhere to stand when the parade starts”. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve just showed up at a parade about 30 minutes before it started and had to stand in the back of the crowd.

Bring Cash: This may sound like a no-brainer but bring some cash for various reasons: Cotton candy, $5 pizzas, those light up things, a cab, $3 bottles of water, Snap pops, or even candy apples.

Know Where To Park: During Mardi Gras season, there are several parking restrictions and the police don’t play. Want to know what can ruin a fun evening of eating, parading, and drinking? Walking back to your car; only to find a ticket, a boot, or towed :(

Be Extremely Polite: If you can’t handle being around crowds. Just don’t go. Keep in mind that you’ll be around groups of people: kids, jerks, people that are rude, people that may steal your beads, people that may slide into your spot, etc. Think of it as defensive driving. If you are polite to other people, you can avoid a lot of unpleasant situations.

What Happens At Mardi Gras May Not Stay At Mardi Gras: You know the old saying “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”? Not in New Orleans…..feel like getting “wild and crazy”? Just remember these words: NOPD, cameras, video cameras, cell phone cameras, 24 lock up in detox, lost wallet/keys, & the Internet.

When it’s all said and done, use common sense, have fun with family and friends, and stay safe!

New Orleans expects large college contingent as Mardi Gras, spring break overlap

 Alexa Von Staden and her fiance had just one thought when it came to spring break this year: Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

"We figured it was now or never," said Von Staden, who recently completed her master's at the University of Florida. "Because Mardi Gras is so late this year that it matches up with spring break. Who knows when that will happen again?"

Mardi Gras is March 8. The next time it will be this late is in 2038, when it falls on March 9.

New Orleans tourism officials, who have begun an advertising campaign to attract younger visitors, believe the happy convergence will give them a boost over Mardi Gras 2010, which was the biggest since hurricane Katrina hit in 2005.

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New Orleans kicks off Carnival season

New Orleans has said so long to the holidays and used the Twelfth Night observance to kick off the Carnival season — which will be extra long this year.

Mayor Mitch Landrieu, accompanied by New Orleans clarinetist Pete Fountain, on Thursday served up slices of king cake, the traditional Carnival pastry, at historic Gallier Hall where the mayor greets parading royalty on Mardi Gras Day.

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'Treme' Mardi Gras indian costumes make it to Hollywood

The journey "Treme's" Mardi Gras Indians costumes made here to stand tall in a special exhibit of TV costumes mirrored the return trip Albert Lambreaux's Indian suit made into flood-ravaged New Orleans in the premiere episode of the series.


The hard way, all the way. By U-Haul.

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New Orleans' Piano Legends Are Soul Of Mardi Gras

It's Carnival time in New Orleans. The costumed courts of the city's social and pleasure clubs rule the parade routes, but musicians are the real royalty. And among them, the piano players might just reign supreme. Guest host Gwen Thompkins speaks with local musician Dr. John about the music behind Mardi Gras.

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Spyboys get sewing to parade with the Mardi Gras Indians

Sitting in a car outside the 7th Ward Neighborhood Center, getting ready for Mardi Gras, four boys wiggled and wrestled. They rolled the windows up and down. They cranked up the volume when a favorite song came on the radio.

But once each of them grabbed hold of a needle and beads, they sat still for hours.

Last week, the four compared hands across the front seat of the car. They jockeyed to show off the calluses on their fingertips, formed by hours of sewing. They displayed the red spots where they had suffered needle punctures.

"All of us Indians, " said Nas Jackson, 11, proudly echoing the assessment made by generations of Mardi Gras Indians, who say you can tell a true Indian by inspecting his hands.

On Tuesday morning, the four boys, lifelong friends, will emerge from the neighborhood center in feathered suits they sewed. The four are able to make their debut as Indians because the Porch, a cultural organization housed in the 7th Ward Center, bought them the beads, sequins, stones, feathers, canvas and satin.

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My Mardi Gras Experience: Not All About Beads & Body Parts

Crazy Wild Parties.  Boobs.  Bourbon Street. Drink ‘Till You Drop.  If somebody was playing the word association game with Mardi Gras, you’d probably hear the following words or phases pop up.  For locals, the Mardi Gras atmosphere is second nature.  I’ve never missed a Mardi Gras season in my life so things like nudity, public drunkenness, and other crazy acts aren’t out of character during this time of year.  But this has also painted a picture for out-of-towners that they may not be so fond of.

Tom Martin, President of Zender Communications wants to create an “experience” to combat this.  His plan rides on his own experience with the way social media can change people’s perception about something.  Last Mardi Gras, Tom used his cell phone to send out tweets and photos to people that could not participate in the festivities.  But instead of showing the X rated version of carnival that so many people hear of, he showed the family side of Mardi Gras. The side that welcomes families, promotes southern hospitality, and the feel good aura of the season.  He wanted to change the brand perception of what people thought about Mardi Gras because most people base it off what they hear or read.

FULL STORY AT NEWORLEANSTECH.NET

N'Orleans Carnival Parades Adjust for Super Bowl

Fat Tuesday — is getting one more.

The Saints-crazed city plans to celebrate the team's first-ever trip to the Super Bowl with a parade to honor them.

"There will be some type of massive parade in the city of New Orleans win or lose," Mayor Ray Nagin told reporters Tuesday night.

Although his office tried to back away from the certainty of a parade on Wednesday, Nagin said he had already begun discussions with Saints officials and others.

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Mardi Gras bound? Learn about beads before you head to New Orleans

More than 7,000 miles and a vast cultural chasm lie between New Orleans and south China, but there is also a strong thread joining the two places.

It’s a thread strung with beads.

So though the workers who produce most of the beads for Mardi Gras have no idea that masked revelers toss those beads free of charge to crowds of strangers, they do wear purple, green and gold.

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Mardi Gras Party Ideas

Mardi Gras has been a celebrated event in Paris since the middle ages. The tradition came to America in 1699 when a French explorer sailed up the Mississippi River and declared a site approximately 60 miles south of New Orleans as "Point du Mardi Gras".

Masked balls and Mardi Gras events came to be in America during the 1700's in New Orleans and are still as elaborate as ever today. Here's how to celebrate Fat Tuesday, New Orleans style, by throwing a modern day Mardi Gras Party inspired by tradition.

Read more at Suite101: Mardi Gras Party Ideas: How to Celebrate Fat Tuesday-New Orleans Style http://entertaining.suite101.com/article.cfm/mardi_gras_party_ideas#ixzz0cEinlBOY

Ways to Give this Season and Have a Blast While Doing It! Part One: The Pussyfooter’s Blush Ball

This is the first in a series of posts about women’s groups that march during Mardi Gras season. Many groups that march during Mardi Gras raise money during special events to help different organizations in the city of New Orleans and these events take place between now and Mardi Gras, hence the timing of the series. This first segment will be about The Pussyfooters -the history of the group and more importantly their annual fundraiser, The Blush Ball, which takes place in order to raise money to benefit The Metropolitan Center for Women and Children while throwing one hell of a party to do so!

Last year, I was invited to join a group of women who call themselves The Pussyfooters. I knew them as a fantastic group of confident dancing gals who marched in Muses but quickly learned that they are much more. The ladies (all of whom are above the age of thirty, a prerequisite for joining) dress in pink, sherbet orange and white and take to the streets to march or dance freestyle during a number of events throughout the year. There are close to eighty women in the group now, though you will see the greatest number of members march during Muses as some live in other places now or split time between different cities.

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Throw Me Some Culture!

At its simplest, Carnival is folks standing on a curb catching beads. At its most sociologically introspective, Carnival is a season with deep cultural roots. Examine Carnival in Louisiana, and you will see a celebration with three different strains of evolution.


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New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson to preside over Mardi Gras parade Endymion

Tom Benson will serve as Grand Marshal of the Krewe of Endymion on Feb. 13, helping make the 2010 MardI Gras season perhaps the most Saints-centric on record.

The team owner will preside over the Saturday superkrewe, followed by star quarterbackDrew  Brees reigning as Bacchus on Sunday and head coach Sean Payton riding as one of the celebrity monarchs in the Krewe of Orpheus on Monday.

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Mardi Gras and New Orleans Saints Becoming One Big Easy Party

The City of New Orleans is currently gripped with Saints fever

NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- As the New Orleans Saints move ever-closer to NFL gold, football isn't the only reason February is shaping up to be the most exciting month in the long history of the city. Just one week after the Super Bowl, Mardi Gras is set to once again sweep through the Big Easy, meaning that the first carnival celebration of the new decade could be the best and most memorable one in history.

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Mountainside Mardi Gras brings New Orleans to Denver

If there is a top ten list of cultural events to see in a lifetime, Mardi Gras would definitely be in the top three, if not number one. Mardi Gras has become the staple for New Orleans and the music of Louisiana. It has evolved into a myriad of costumes, beads, and parades, jazz and funk, and has become this carnival celebration of Christian roots since before the 1830s. While Colorado has its own reputation of Denver contain the most biking trails in a metropolitan city and the beauty of the Rocky Mountains, there is not a defining music style or event that happens in the state.

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Plan now for Mardi Gras 2010 in New Orleans

If you are thinking of going to Mardi Gras next year, you’d better get cracking. New Orleans fills up, literally! It is time to plan for Mardi Gras 2010.
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