Mardi Gras is one of the biggest celebrations in the United States, and the event can get really rowdy and fun. Mardi Gras is also known as Fat Tuesday, a day known for its indulgence and parties. Mardi Gras falls on the day before Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent in the Christian calendar. During Lent, Christians traditionally give up something for forty days, an act that symbolizes the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert. Mardi Gras is a celebration before the somber time that is Lent, and there is no place that hosts that celebration better than New Orleans. If you close on one of the New Orleans houses for sale, then you better be prepared to celebrate Mardi Gras once it rolls around, as the party consumes the city. So what’s so great about New Orleans’ Mardi Gras celebration, and why do you need to visit New Orleans for it even if you don’t live there? Let’s take a look.
The Parades
One of the biggest reasons to celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans is due to the city’s massive parades that they put on. While in New Orleans for Mardi Gras, you’ll likely see many parades marching through the streets. These parades are extremely colorful and involve lots of large colorful floats. In addition, the floats are lined with people throwing trinkets and other items into the crowd. It's really fun to try to catch these trinkets, and they can make the perfect Mardi Gras souvenir to take home with you. The New Orleans Mardi Gras parades are an iconic part of celebrating the holiday, and honestly are reason enough to come to New Orleans for the event.
The Food
As the entire holiday is based on indulgence before Ash Wednesday and Lent, it's no surprise that there would be some amazing Mardi Gras dishes out there for guests to experience. You’ll be able to find just about anything during a New Orleans Mardi Gras celebration, ranging from locally caught shrimp dishes to delicious crab cake recipes. You’ll also be able to find a slew of desserts like cakes and chocolates during the celebration. Giving up sweets and chocolate is a common occurrence during Lent, so as a result many, people celebrate by eating those dishes before they choose to give them up. If you choose to visit New Orleans during Mardi Gras, your stomach surely will thank you for it.
The Celebrations
Obviously with so many people in the city for the food and parades, parties are going to pop up quite frequently. There are so many parties and events going on around the time of Maddi Gras in New Orleans that it’s absolutely crazy. Bars and nightclubs host several special events and deals, and they fill up rapidly. One of the best forms of Maddi Gras celebrations are the masquerade balls. For a masquerade ball, attendees arrive with a mask covering their face, adding a little bit of intrigue to the event. On the actual day of Mardi Grad, the entire city will basically be a party, further adding to the fun of the holiday. If you're looking for a massive celebration with plenty of partying, then you absolutely need to visit New Orleans during Mardi Gras.