Bucket List New Orleans Experience: 5 Things to Know About Celebrating Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras is hands down one of the WILDEST parties I’ve ever been to! But it was a bucket list New Orleans experience that I thought would be cool to do at least one time. So I have no regrets. š Here are five things you should know before heading down to NOLA for the party of the year!
Beads Are Easy to Come by.Ā
When my friends and I arrived in New Orleans for Mardi Gras the first question we wondered was, where do we get our hands on some beads?! We were ready to jump two feet first into the celebration and beads seemed like an important step in doing that. Donāt worry. You wonāt have to look very hard for beads and you wonāt even have to buy them either. New Orleans is a never ending party around Mardi Gras. People throw beads from their balconies; thereās parades where people on floats throw beads to people on the street and youāll probably even find some dangling on bushes, trees, and sidewalks that didnāt quite make it into someoneās hands when they were thrown. There will be plenty of beads. Donāt worry.
The Parades Are Fun to Watch.
You should definitely catch a parade (or 10) at Mardi Gras. They involve all kinds of cool floats, dancers, costumes, and live music and you should totally experience it. Plus, what says āMardi Gras in New Orleansā more than catching beads that were thrown to you from someone parading down a street on a float?!
People Really do Flash Themselves for Beads.Ā
Youāve been warned. Because I hadnāt been! Well, I take that back. My roommate at the time was familiar with this tradition and she told me about it but I took it with a grain of salt. āPeople donāt ACTUALLY do that, do they?ā They do. And they did. Both men and women. āEarningā beads (aka flashing for them) isnāt a requirement by any means. But it did seem like the bigger more elaborate beads didnāt come for free. Meaning someone either bought them with money or earned them from someone with a little flashy flash. *** I would just like to take a moment to say that none of my beads were āearned.ā *** š
Itās a WILD Party.Ā Ā
Probably one of the wildest Iāve ever been to. Between the flashing, the extremely alcohol influenced shenanigans, and the crowds and CROWDS of intense partiers Iād say not ALL aspects of Mardi Gras are family friendly. As a general rule Iād say activities during the day and away from Bourbon street would be your best chance for a PG experience. Which leads me to my next point…
Itās the WILDEST on Bourbon St.Ā
This is where youāll find the most extreme partying. I say you have to walk down Bourbon Street at least once during Mardi Gras just to say you did; but, be prepared. Itās intense!
So would you do Mardi Gras in New Orleans? Or have you already done it…? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear about it!
Safe travels friends.
CE
