Mardi Gras!
Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday. This year, 2019, Mardi Gras is on Tuesday March 5. Mardi Gras marks the beginning of Lent, the religious preparation for Easter. Mardi Gras is a big celebration of music, food, and love. Mardi Gras is famous for masquerades, parades, brass bands playing jazz tunes, brightly colored bead necklaces, meals of shrimp and other Creole favorites. A balcony overlooking the parade in the French Quarter is considered a prime spot for New Orleans partying.
New Orleans is famous for its Mardi Gras. According to this website, there are parades the weekend before that Tuesday.
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Vacation Rentals - New Orleans Guide: https://www.alltherooms.com/
FROM OUR FRIEND, Andrea, at Alltherooms.com comes this info on how to get a room in New Orleans:
"New Orleans has 4,867 hotels, vacation rentals and other unique places to stay, with prices to suit budget travelers, luxury travelers and everything in between. We combine a wide variety of New Orleans accommodations including vacation rentals, homestays, hostels and other unique places to stay into one easy search. We show results from more than 7 providers, including 1,910 places to stay from Airbnb, 531 accommodations from VRBO and 106 places to stay from Homeaway."
Vacation Rentals - New Orleans Guide: https://www.alltherooms.com/
6: I only have limited time. What is the prime time to visit during Mardi Gras?
The weekend before Fat Tuesday is the prime time to visit New Orleans for Mardi Gras. This is the weekend when Bacchus and Endymion, two of the biggest parades of the season, roll down the streets of New Orleans. The streets are packed all day Saturday and Sunday with parade watchers. If you can stay longer than a weekend, Monday (Lundi Gras) and Fat Tuesday are also great days to experience Mardi Gras. Orpheus, another big parade, rolls on that Monday night, and the Zulu Lundi Gras festival goes on all day. On Fat Tuesday, walking around the French Quarter and seeing all of the costumes and masks is a unique and thrilling experience.
If you won't be in New Orleans, most other cities have some Mardi Gras fun.
Here are some Mardi Gras listings in the Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York areas:
Here are some Mardi Gras events in the Chicago area:
And Mardi Gras in Los Angeles:
Mardi Gras in New York!