Often in various Mardi Gras Facebook communities, you’ll see people asking questions about how to be prepared for a good time during the parades. Here’s some tips we can provide for out of towners.
Dependant on when you arrive in town, there are over 70 parades in the metropolitan area throughout the Carnival Season.
You may want a fold-up “chair in a bag”. Some parade days can be literally all day.
Have a poncho or umbrella in case it rains. It’s not a bad idea to have some sort of jacket or sweatshirt, in case the temperature drops. Nobody wants to get sick during Mardi Gras. You’ll miss out on a good time.
Find a bathroom nearby where you know you can use it. Many churches, schools, restaurants, hotels, and bars along the route will allow you to use their facilites for a small fee or purchase, often offering all-day bathroom passes for $5-$10. The city will set up port-o-potties in select areas, but they may not be kept the cleanest during the heart of the parade season. Bring wet wipes/TP and hand sanitizer in case neither are available where you find a restroom. Don’t attempt to pee in public. If the police see you, you could be arreted for indecent exposure.
Have clothes for both cold and hot weather. I’ve seen Mardi Gras days where it’s been cold and I’ve seen some where you could be wearing a swimsuit and still be sweltering. On Mardi Gras day, It’s not irregular to see people costume.
Just like the song in the 90’s said: WEAR SUNSCREEN (if it’s during the day). Also might want a hat and sunglasses. Nothing sucks more than getting a sunburn in the middle of the throes of Mardi Gras.
Cell Phone service can be spotty at times. With so many people in the area, cell towers can get clogged. It may be a good idea to have a charge cable and external battery in case your phone gets drained. Take pictures of the parade and your experiences.
Get a Mardi Gras guide. It’s a magazine style publication put out by one of New Orleans’ experts on Mardi Gras, Arthur Hardy’s Mardi Gras Guide. It gives you a list of the parades and events going on, when & where they are happening, a little story about the significance of the differnet parade krewes, some of the throws to expect to be thrown, and sights to be seen in each parade. And its a well put together magazine with more about the history of Carnival and a good momento of your experience. All for like 6 bucks. They are found on the counter at most drug stores, grocery stores, and souvenir shops. Also watch some of our episodes to learn a more in depth history about some of the krewes and marching/dancing groups that participate in Mardi Gras. You can watch those here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist…
Bring snacks and drinks or be prepared to pay for them along the route or nearby (most likely with cash). If you bring your own drinks, avoid glass bottles on the parade route or have a container to transfer those drinks to. Try to avoid just litering any food scraps or drink containers on the ground, even though you’ll see lots of stuff on the ground. The more you pick up after yourself, the more comfortable you and others will be. No one wants to stand in a pile of chicken bones and aluminum cans and napkins to watch the parade. If you can, bring a trash bag with you to put your trash into and put it where it can be collected by the cleanup crews after the parade passes.
Wear comfortable shoes that you dont mind getting dirty. There can be puddles & mud along the parade route if there’s rain prior to the parade and if you’re venturing down Bourbon St, the puddles there can be around the clock, even if there’s no rain and it’s usually not just water in those puddles.
If you are looking to bring throws home, have a bag to collect them into. you won’t want to walk back to your hotel with an armful of beads, teddy bears and such. Some people bring fold up wagons to carry all their stuff, including the aforementioned extra jacket, umbrella, snacks, etc.
If you are looking to try to catch a particular throw or attract the attention of a rider, make a big sign for them. The funnier or more elaborate that the sign is, the higher chances you will have of getting that cherished throw.
Know your surroundings. Keep money, ID and credit cards in a front pocket to discourage pickpockets. Being a major city and major celebration, it brings hundreds of thousands to the city, good and bad. On the same note, some of the best friendships you can create while in town can be with the people watching the parade around you.
When at the parade, don’t cross between 2 “tandem” floats, Even if they are stopped.
Don’t cross in the middle of a marching or dancing group. the chaperones for that group will not take kindly to it and will push you back if you try.
Do NOT throw things back at the floats (except for the ARC collection float that can sometimes be seen at the end of parades). IF spotted, locals will scold you and the police very well could arrest you and/or kick you off the parade route. The ARC is an organization that cleans, sorts, and repackages beads and throws to be reused.
Don’t reach for throws under a float. There’s giant wheels holding up a massive amount of weight under there. That bead, doubloon, cup, or teddy bear will be there when the float finishes passing.
While it’s out-of-towner’s sterotype “rite of passage” of Mardi Gras… Ladies – don’t whip out the “girls” at the parades. There’s families around and they usually won’t take too kindly to you exposing yourself for their kids to see. Save the flashing for Bourbon St or your hotel room.
Avoid getting arrested. A. You’ll miss out on parades, ruin your Mardi Gras and cost you a ton of money. B. Often the courts may be closed until after Mardi Gras, so you literally could spend a few days in the slammer as a result. And no one likes bologna sandwiches from jail.
In sum, parades can and will be an amazing time, you just need to prepare to make sure that you don’t miss the good time!