Mardi Gras 101: The PARADE FLOATS

Spectacular, rehearsed, BOOMING school marching bands.
Gorgeous teams of dancers.
Beads & cups & toys & treats flying through the air.
Celebrities.
Cotton candy & pretzel trucks.
Wheeled carts filled with unnecessary toys and carnival accessories.
Adorable little kids hoisted on risers with their chubby hands in the air begging for a toy...and their drunk parents behind them.
And elaborate floats.

Ahhh, how I really do  love Mardi Gras parades.

The build up all year leads to breathtaking and awe-inspiring sights such as these....

Believe it or not, it's easy to tire of this.  Don't get me wrong,  I'm complaining, it's just all so much: non stop, noise, walking, drinking, eating...lasting a very short period of time.

You truly need an entire year to get geared up and excited for it all to begin again....which is exactly how long it takes to create the masterpieces that are the Mardi Gras Floats.

Fun fact about the floats: the Wednesday after Mardi Gras, artists begin designing the next round of amazing creations.


Though we finish the season with an exaggerated groan announcing, "NEVER again..we're leaving town next year!", by the time we round the New Year's corner and start to see those King Cakes on the shelves, we're ready for another round.

I guess we're true locals now.