How to Enjoy a Family Friendly Mardi Gras

While thoughts of Mardi Gras may conjure up images of lewd behavior on Bourbon Street, the Carnival holiday is actually a family friendly celebration with good clean fun for people of all ages. Knowing when to visit, where to stay, how to watch parades and other family friendly activities can make for an enjoyable family friendly Mardi Gras.

Instructions

1. Consider visiting New Orleans the weekend prior to Mardi Gras. Though the height of Carnival Season is Mardi Gras itself, the days and weeks leading up to Fat Tuesday have many of the elements that make Mardi Gras exciting. Nightly parades begin 10 days before Fat Tuesday. Crowds are generally smaller and less raucous at the earlier parades. Scheduling a trip before the height of the festivities can be a ideal way to introduce the family to Mardi Gras fun.

2. Choose a hotel in a family friendly location. As a general rule, the parties get wilder as they get closer to Bourbon Street. Hotels in the Uptown neighborhood and along St. Charles Avenue can offer close proximity to family friendly parade viewing areas and distance from wild parties. A hotel along the parade route can also provide a place to rest between parades.

3. Watch parades from areas that are known to draw families and children. St. Charles Avenue, between Napoleon and Jackson Avenues, is a popular place for families to set up camp for prime viewing. Though alcohol is present along the entire parade route, laws against indecent exposure are generally enforced Uptown. A spot close to the beginning of the parade route will also assure that your family can head home at a reasonable hour.

4. Be prepared when attending parades. Families will often set up a base camp along the parade route with picnics and BBQs to make a full day event out of parades. If bringing small children, consider purchasing a Mardi Gras Ladder from an area hardware store. This ladder, with wheels for easier transport, has a special chair bolted to the top so that children can see the parades passing without getting stepped on. Also be prepared with plenty of food, drinks, water, and sunscreen. Extra bags can be helpful for transporting home all of the Mardi Gras goodies thrown from the floats.

5. Attend other family friendly activities. The nearby suburb of Metairie hosts a Family Gras Celebration during each Carnival Season offering parades, food and music for the entire family. Venture to the French Quarter for the Krewe of Barkus parade. This daytime parade features hundreds of pet owners parading with their costumed four-legged friends.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure each child is carrying some form of identification with parental contact information in case the child gets lost in the crowds.

• Bring a wagon to transport children and supplies between the hotel and parade route.

• Bathroom facilities can be difficult to find on parade days.

• Keep children away from Bourbon Street. Even during daylight hours, children are bound to see something meant only for adult eyes.