• Tuesday 02 February 2010

Festivals dont come much bigger than the annual Mardi Gras carnival in New Orleans. Over a couple of weeks leading up to the Lent this laid-back jazz and blues capital dances, struts and parades itself to the infectious rhythms of marching bands. And you can do far more than simply watch it from the sidelines. Whether you are screaming for beads, dancing down Bourbon Streey or experiencing the ultimate thrill of riding a Mardi Gras float, this exuberant celebration will sweep you away. Set along the banks of the lazy Mississippi in southern Louisiana, New Orleans is an intoxicating mix of colonial, wooden mansions, wrought-iron balconies and atmospheric jazz and blues bars. Paddle steamers still negotiate the river, soulful musicians perform in the streets and the rich smell of Cajun cooking pervades the air. Even outside of Mardi Gras, a visit to this city is an unforgettable experience. During the carnival it just gets better. Although Mardi Gras is not on a fixed date every year, "Fat Tuesday" is always the ultmate day of revelry. At midnight the partying grinds to a swift halt and the relative austerity of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. So don't come on Tuesday and expect to have the full Mardi Gras experience. At the very least arrive the weekend before, when many of the super krewes hold there parades. Krewes are city-based social clubs, some with thousands of members, and they are the heart of the festival. They fund, create and fill floats, host gala balls and coordinate the extensive parade schedule. Super krewes like Orpheus, Bacchus, Endymion and Rex justifiably attract much of the attention with their elaborate and lengthy floats, but some smaller clubs perhaps embrace the true Mardi Gras spirit best. The irrepressible Mid-City Krewe is an example of this, and is also one of the few that allows outsiders on to its floats for a ride of a lifetime. Its parade is a glittery affair of multicoloured, foil-wrapped floats interspersed with marching bands and outriders on horseback. Float riders have one task and one task only, this is to toss beads, toys, cups and coins, known as "doubloons", to as many parade watchers as possible. This is no easy task as there is over a million people linind the route. At the start of the parade beads are racked up, costumes and masks are donned, and the floats roll slowly down tree-lined St Charles Avenue, its mansions bedecked in traditional carnival colours of puple, green and gold, depicting justice, faith and power. A non-stop barage of screams flows forth above a sea of waving hands and an interminable number of stepladders, widely used to get above the throng in the hope of attracting more beads. For most revellers, this is what Mardi Gras is all about : plastic, gaudy and virtually worthless beads. The crowds build before the tumultous finale along Canale Street, the city's main street and the widest in the world. In between parades, the legendary Bourbon Street, in the city's beautiful old French Quarter, comes to life. The Mardi Gras celebration was brought to New Orleans by the French in 1699. Above the dimly lit jazz and blues bars, bearers of bead necklaces fill the balconies, and the crowds below go to great lenghts to attract a throw. Day and night the necklaces rain down and they might aswell be diamond ones for the furore they cause. It may sound ridiculous but acquiring as much of these beaded necklaces asa possible leads to a successful Mardi Gras. Even the most conservative of people get caught up in the bead-gathering frenzy of this memorable street party.