The procession of floats go through the city.
A party like no other.
If you have children or are a foodie, you certainly know that this year, Mardi Gras fell on February 21, 2023. And, in New Orleans, it’s also the occasion to party, a big party, a very big party. Like, a carnival. To give you an idea, it goes something like this:
Haitian Carnival – New Orleans 🇭🇹⭐️ pic.twitter.com/NNeiEEYEIP
– Haytien 🇭🇹🕊 (@haytiens) February 13, 2023
If Mardi Gras is also synonymous with carnival in other cities around the world, we must admit that it has a special meaning in New Orleans. This festival has been celebrated there since 18e century when grand balls were organized. In financial difficulty after the Civil War, the organizers then had the idea of putting up posters in the stations to attract festival-goers. Historians believe that the fame of the Louisiana town procession dates from this time. Today, the city welcomes nearly a million tourists to celebrate this festival.
In New Orleans, everything is organized by the Krewes (the crews) who decorate the parade floats and organize the dance parties. The two most famous are that of Rex, who has been practicing since 1872 and who is at the origin of the colors traditionally associated with this festival, yellow, purple and green. The other is the Zulu whose king was Louis Armstrong in 1949 who throws pearl necklaces to the spectators.
Celebrating New Orleans
You’ll see more posts like this showing the beauty and magical feeling that reels us into New Orleans. Mardi Gras is NOLA’s biggest party and we have one week left to soak it all in.
Which Krewe in town is your favorite and why? pic.twitter.com/B5HkgbEDXh— USL NOLA (@uslnola) February 14, 2023
Even the mayor of the city joins the party!
And of course, Mardi Gras in New Orleans is also an opportunity to eat well. In Louisiana, the specialty is not pancakes as in France but King Cake, a brioche cake similar to the crown of kings. This yellow, green and white cake in the shape of a half-cylinder and contains a small bean with the effigy of the Child Jesus.
Finally, it is also and perhaps above all the music as you can see in this video from the American media USA Today.