There is no need for tickets to see a parade...all of them are FREE!! That is why it is called
"The Greatest Free Show
on Earth!". You only get tickets if you want to sit down on stands as the parades pass.
Technically, "Carnival" refers to the period of feasting and fun that begins on Jan. 6 (the
Feast of the Epiphany) and
ends on Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), the final day of revelry before Ash Wednesday when Lent
begins. It is also common for
people to refer to the entire season as Mardi Gras and, for clarity, to call Fat Tuesday "Mardi
Gras Day." Locals tend
to call the season "Carnival" and, to us, the last two weekends leading up to Tuesday are"Mardi
Gras."
The first Mardi Gras parade was held in New Orleans on Feb. 24, 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.
Rex, the King of Carnival, selected the Mardi Gras colors and assigned meaning to them in 1892.
Purple stands for
justice, green for faith, and gold for power.
By law, float riders must always have a mask on. On Fat Tuesday, masking is legal for everyone
else, and the elaborate
masks that some wear add to the fun.
The method of selecting a king varies from krewe to krewe. Some krewes hold random drawings,
while others invite a
celebrity guest to be their king. Rex, the King of Carnival, is chosen by the School of Design,
who sponsors the Rex
parade. His identity is revealed the day before the parade.
The tradition of float riders throwing trinkets to the crowds began in the 1870s, and continues
today. Typical throws
include beads, cups, doubloons and stuffed animals.
Economic impact reports indicate that Mardi Gras generates over $1 billion in annual spending.
City governments are not involved in coordinating Mardi Gras parades. The governments issue
parade permits, but that is
the extent of their involvement. Krewes independently schedule and coordinate their own parades.
Mardi Gras parade krewes are private, non-profit organizations whose members get together year
round to plan their
parade's theme, costumes and unique throws. Each Carnival Club, as they are known, is
individually funded by its
members. They support their krewe through dues, sales of krewe-related merchandise to their
members, and fundraising.
Mardi Gras parade krewes sometimes have corporate sponsors.
The city of New Orleans is not involved in coordinating Mardi Gras parades; their only
involvement is to issue parade
permits to each individual Mardi Gras krewe that schedules and coordinates its own parade.
MardiGrasNewOrleans.com, of course. We organized and presented the first live Mardi Gras in 1995
and continued sharing
this with our visitors for several years with companies like Microsoft and REAL Media. The live
events showcased on
MardiGrasNewOrleans.com have been covered by the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, TImes
PIcayune, Morning Advocate, San
Diego Union Tribune, Texas Monthly, and the Discovery Channel among others.
The first year, we presented the Orpheuscapade, and soon offered live chats with celebrities,
interviews with costumed
revelers on the streets, and video from atop hotels in the Garden District.