It was time for the pompous arrival of the Mardi Gras Floats on the Canal Street. And we were all waiting to see the magic happen.
“The first Mardi Gras parade was held in New Orleans on February 24th, 1857 by the Krewe of Comus. They began the tradition of presenting a parade with floats and following it with a ball for the Krewe and their guests”, as per Mardi Gras website. And the tradition has been ongoing for over 150 years now.
Given the long history, Mardi gras is a holiday in New Orleans. And is celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm by both locals and the visitors.
Our Friday before the ‘Fat Tuesday’ in New Orleans began with the Parade of Krewe of Hermes followed by Krewe of d’Etat and Krewe of Morpheus – which started around seven in the evening. It was a wonderful line-up – the King’s float of Hermes and the ‘Sun King’ float were some of best of the day.
The next day, Saturday – we were on Canal Street by eleven in the morning to enjoy the – day parades. It included the Krewe of Iris which is named after the Goddess of Rainbow & is the largest all-female Krewe and the Krewe of Tucks which is known for the satirical floats – both the Krewes were up to the mark. And then we waited patiently for the Krewe of Endymion – supposed to start at four that evening. It was really packed by the time the parade began, and it was quite apparent from the spectacular floats which were brought out to amaze the crowd.
Sunday – our third day of Mardi Gras celebrations and we were looking forward to the parades. It started with the Krewe of Okeanos which is named after the Greek god of Oceans & valleys; and then, the beautiful floats of Krewe of Mid-city and Thoth paraded down the street. By evening, our bounty of beads had already grown by leaps and bounds; though one more parade was still left for the day. Around five, the Krewe of Bacchus (named after Greek God of Wine), showed up in dazzling floats – it was the perfect end to the perfect weekend.
Copyright © Vasudha Aggarwal & travel-defined.com, 2014 -15. All rights reserved.
Traveldefined 
Such colourful pictures – I’d love to visit New Orleans! 🙂
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And I love your tagline, too 🙂
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Thank you.
Yes, New Orleans is a beautiful place. Not just one, it is worth many visits.
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I’ll start saving then 🙂
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We have done Mardi Gras in several towns around south Louisiana but never in New Orleans. Seems like something we should experience but we’ve just never had the guts to fight the crowds. Nice seeing it through your pictures.
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It’s true that it tends to get really crowded especially during the weekends but it is definitely worth a visit. Glad you enjoyed the pictures.
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Wow, I would love to go someday. Thanks for taking me there in your post!
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Yes, its a wonderful experience. Glad you enjoyed the post !!
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Wow, and I thought Easter parades were nice. We just came back
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Mardi gras is definitely one of the best parades. Must-see, I would say.
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It looks great. We won’t see the Mardi Gras but we plan to be there in November.
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Thank you for pointing it out – must be some error while editing.
Glad you liked it. New Orleans is great place to visit anytime of the year.
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Hi, love the colourful images of the Mardi Gras, and thank you for liking my post on Ama Dablam. We are now following you. Martin.
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Hi Martin. Glad you liked the pictures.
I enjoyed exploring your beautiful blog. And thank you for stopping by and following my blog. I really appreciate it.
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I won’t be in New Orleans next year for Mardi Gras but am excited anyway for finally getting to visit this city in another week. I have never been but it is one place I have always wanted to see.
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Yes, its a wonderful place to see any time of the year.
Bourbon Street always stays the same (fun atmosphere) and you can enjoy the cajun-creole cuisine as well.
Have a great trip. 🙂
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