Throw Me Something Mister!

A "terrible" two-year old costumed as Napoleon. A huge family dressed up like 101 dalmatians. A dog parade featuring canine royalty, with themes like "Tailhouse Rock" and "Welcome to the Flea Market." On the Tuesday before ash Wednesday, bead-draped Louisianians and their guests hit the streets for a day of fun and frivolity. And no two places celebrate it in exactly the same way. In the New Orleans area, more than 60 parades roll during the two weeks before Fat Tuesday. Slidell and Madisonville celebrate with colorful boat parades, and Monroe-West Monroe, Lake Charles and Houma have lighted boat parades. Shreveport-Bossier City's and Lafayette's Mardi Gras traditions focus on family activities, and the Alexandria-Pineville are celebrates with a children's parade for the young and the young at heart. And in some areas of Cajun Country, the "courir de Mardi Gras" is a tradition with medieval roots that is still going on today. You can also check out the year-round Mardi Gras exhibits in museums across the state, including the Louisiana State Museum's Presbytere, Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World, and the Rivertown Mardi Gras Museum, all in the New Orleans area; Morgan City's Cypress Manor; Lafayette's Alexandre-Mouton House; Mardi Gras in the Ark-La-Tex Museum in Bossier City; or The Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu in Lake Charles.

Future dates of Mardi Gras Day:
2005 - February 8
2006 - February 28

For parade schedules, check these local sites:

Alexandria
Cajun Coast
New Orleans Northshore
LeJeune Cove
Pointe Coupee Parish/New Roads
St. Landry Parish
Southwest La./Lake Charles
Shreveport - Bossier

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