Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is the traditional celebration just before the beginning of Lent, and falls on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. New Orleans is the site of the most famous American Mardi Gras, but travel around the States and you’ll find festivals of excess just about everywhere.
Mobile, AL is home to the longest-running celebration of Mardi Gras in the United States, dating all the way back to 1703. Two weeks of celebration culminate on February 24th, with 5 parades and a day of outrageous entertainment and festivities. http://www.cityofmobile.org/mardigras.php
New Orleans, LA is home to the most famous celebration of all, of course. The first Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans took place on February 24, 1857, and the festivities get bigger, bawdier, and more outrageous every year. Go to http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com to find out everything you ever wanted to know about how things are done on Fat Tuesday in the Big Easy.
Colorado is home to a plethora of Mardi Gras celebrations. Many take place in ski towns, such as Vail and Aspen. Aspen’s celebration claims to be the biggest and most authentic Mardi Gras of all, and includes “The Mother of All Ascensions,” in which costumed merrymakers race up an incline of 1,741 feet at sunrise. For partygoers who’d rather stay close to sea level (or as close to sea level as you can get in Colorado), the city of Keystone has a lovely celebration, including Zydeco music, street performers, and classic Creole cuisine. http://www.colorado.com/Articles.aspx?aid=42119
“Laissez les bons temps rouler!”
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