Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler.

The arrival of February means the beginning of a great holiday season– and I’m not talking about New York Fashion Week! Being from the Gulf Coast, February means one thing: Mardi Gras! For many years I didn’t appreciate the holiday; once I met people who really knew how to celebrate though, it became a magical experience.

Image by Lady Elixir

Whether you’re celebrating Mardi Gras in New Orleans or Carnivale in Venice or the Caribbean, a lot of preparation that goes in to having a memorable experience. Since there are two ways to experience New Orlean’s Mardi Gras (as a tourist and as a local), I want to share plenty of tips of experiencing it like a local!

Mardi Gras is categorized by three things: beads, drinking, and costumes. Everything else can be put in to these categories.

Beads
♥ Firstly, you do NOT have to bare your breasts at Mardi Gras. This goes without saying. You’ll end up on Flickr. Flirting is just as effective for good beads, I promise.

♥ Learn the Parade Routes. There’s something intoxicating about the idea of being on Canal Street for the parades.  In all honesty, it’s crowded and all the good loot is gone.  Securing a spot with your friends on the more family friendly St. Charles side will lead to better beads & more fun. Just because it’s family friendly doesn’t mean that debauchery is prohibited!

♥ Pick Your Parades; don’t attend them all. There are dozens and dozens of parades leading up to Lundi Gras & Mardi Gras– so many so, you don’t actually NEED to go do during the final days.  Some of my favorites include: Muses (celebrates womanhood), Tucks (a Loyola favorite!), Orpheus, and the Sunday parades. Miss Malaprop also recommends Krewe de Vieux and Barkus.

Drinking
♥ Avoid Bourbon Street. Again, the allure of Bourbon Street at Mardi Gras is strong; so is the increase in pick pocketing & the lovely aroma of piss, stale booze, and vomit. You know what isn’t strong? Bourbon St. drinks. They’re also overpriced. Think like a local, and head down to streets like Lower Decatur or Frenchman for your alcohol and enjoy a wholly more unique experience than your tourist counterparts.

♥ Make sure you are off the road by midnight the night of Fat Tuesday: the cops are in full force that night, and sweep up intoxicated folks like the trash. It’s over & done, and they will enforce that!  Also: do not get arrested. You will be stuck at the Fairgrounds until the end of Mardi Gras, when they begin processing.  Avoid urinating in the streets; it *will* get you arrested.

♥ Think ahead–program cab company’s numbers in to your phone.

♥ Head to the Local’s Haunts The best places, in my humble opinion, to experience Mardi Gras like a local are on lower Decatur Street and Frenchmen. The far edge of the Quarter, furthest from Canal is also fun. If you MUST do Bourbon St., try hitting the “gay” end (it begins at St. Ann & Bourbon):the Bourbon St. Pub is always a fun bar to go to.

♥ To-Go Cups and Flasks Are Your Friend. Whether in a hotel room, at a friend’s, or in your own home, stop by the grocery store and stock up on your favorite liquors. Carrying a to-go cup (which is legal so long as it’s not glass) or a flask is perfectly okay, and a much more affordable way to drink. It also saves you from having to wait in lines or around a crowded bar!

Costumes
Costumes are as fun and special during Mardi Gras as they are during Halloween. Whether a full out ensemble to just extra body glitter and hair bits, it’s always good to have something planned.

♥ Comfort & Flexibility #1 in costume planning–make sure you’re 100% comfortable in it. When traipsing from parade destination to bars and back again, you need to understand that a) you don’t have time to change, b) your clothes may get ruined.  DO NOT wear something that will leave you devastated when some asshole spills his hurricane on you.  Wear comfortable shoes– now is NOT the time to break in those sexy new 6″ stilettos you bought.
There are 3 easy rules for Costuming during Mardi Gras:
1. Make sure you can move in it.
2. Make sure you can drink it in.
3. Make sure you can use the restroom in it. (If your costume includes hose, cut a hole in the crotch & wear your panties over it. It makes it LOADS easier not to have to remove them.)

♥ Group Costumes Some of my favorite dress-up experiences have involved big groups of friends each dressing up as characters– whether Alice in Wonderland or Jem & the Holograms or comic book characters. Themes help you keep track of one another, too!

♥ Corsets & Lingerie For men and women, you can’t go wrong with the hint of innuendo by wearing a corset or lingerie pieces (like garters and stockings) with your outfit! Go to my favorite local haunt, Trashy Diva for to die for pieces.

♥ Concealment When costuming, making a concealed pocket or rigging a place to carry a clutch or purse is a great idea (for both men AND women). You want to be sure to carry your I.D., a cell phone, extra cash and/or a credit card. Carrying around a cumbersome and clunky bag isn’t an option– it gets in the way at bars, you have to find a place to store it, and it makes you a prime target for pickpockets.
When all else fails:
1. A belt buckle is an easy and safe way to store a small ring of keys;
2. Your bra can be an excellent place to store cash, credit cards, IDs, and even small cell phones if you’re busty);
3. Create a small pouch to hold your necessities in, and attach it to the inside of your skirt, pants, shirt, garter belt, or other places.
♥ Don’t Wear Sandals or Flip Flops You’re probably thinking, why not? They’re comfortable, cute, and usually flat. But they also expose your feet to: spilled drinks, broken glass, urine, vomit, bar sludge, and more. Do you really want to stumble home in the wee A.M. hours, only to have to wash that off? Do yourself a favor, and wear something that covers your whole foot.

When it comes to costumes, above all, the sky is REALLY the limit! I’ve seen people in elaborate costumes, to people wearing their street clothes, to dressing in drag.

For those who have experienced Mardi Gras, and perhaps not in the traditional sense, what have been your experiences?  Your thoughts and reactions?