How to Get Free Mardi Gras Beads
The colorful red, green and gold plastic Mardi Gras beads are a staple of parades for the two weeks leading up to Mardi Gras Day. While you can buy beads in souvenir shops and through mail order, they can be snatched up for free if you have the resourcefulness and the attitude. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Line up along St. Charles, Bourbon or Canal Street and catch beads as krewes throw them from floats. Jockey for a good position because the parade routes get pretty crowded, especially on Decatur and Canal Streets. Study the parade routes before hand to get to the front row spot. The practice of krewes (the people riding floats) throwing bead, doubloons and other trinkets to crowds started in the 1800s, and since then, its been an intrinsic part of Mari Gras festivities.
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Show some skin. Women traditionally get free beads if they lift up their tops. Guys could get in on the act too. Mardi Gras can be an equal opportunity event in the skin-baring department. Just expose skin in the French Quarter, though to get your free beads. They don't take too kindly to it in Mid-town or Metarie.
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Stop by bars, restaurants and casinos during Mardi Gras week. Many establishments give away beads-or you can always find beads left behind by tipsy party-goers.
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Walk along the streets. You never know when a kindly party-goer will offer you beads with or without semi-nudity on your part.
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Pick some beads up off the streets on Ash Wednesday, the day after Mardi Gras. Do this after the revelers have gone home and before the clean up crews have arrived.
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