Carnival 2007

2/28/2007 4:34 PM

C a r n i v a l Mardi Gras February 2007

WOW, this was definitely a new experience for me. To say that Mardi Gras is back in full swing seems like an understatement. Granted I never saw it before the storm, but I was told that this year was very close to being like pre-storm years. The celebrations actually last for a good two weeks, if not longer, which made it difficult for those of us who live inside the parade route. For me it was such a great experience because it was the first time that I saw a real city’s vitality here in New Orleans.

    So much of what I have seen of New Orleans on a day-to-day basis is destruction or efforts to rebuild. You listen to the radio and you hear about politics and the lack of money. You read about population levels and murder rates, but for a couple of weeks that seemed to all be forgotten. This City came alive. I was amazed at how many people came out in the streets. St. Charles was simply taken over as if it was the city’s front yard or playground. Families set up tents and grills, they even used chairs and rope to fence off their own claimed territory. St. Charles became the largest cookout that I have ever seen. What impressed me even more was how kind everyone was being. I am not sure how many times I was offered something to drink or eat, but it was enough for me to realize that this was like nothing else I had ever seen—like no other city I have been to.



    That is all before the parades would begin. When it was time for a parade to come down the street people came from everywhere seemingly out of nowhere. At some points the crowd would be a full city block deep pushing towards the parade route. Both sides of the street were lined with custom ladders with cushioned seats on them for kids to get above the crowd and catch beads for their parents. Every time that a parade would come by cops would have to push the crowd back just so a band or float could fit through the narrowing space of the parade route.




     I was lucky enough to experience multiple parades at different points in the city. From my house in the Lower Garden District I could walk along St. Charles through Downtown to Canal Street. I spent Mardi Gras Tuesday on St. Charles downtown about two blocks from Canal St. It was here I met a retired couple from North Carolina who where determined to teach a novice, me, the ropes of Mardi Gras etiquette, first of which was how to catch beads. It is more difficult than you might imagine and had nothing to do with anyone lifting their shirt. This man’s mother had grown up in the city, having just died a few months ago they decided to come back and celebrate her life at Mardi Gras, an event that she never missed. He is also considering trying to help out in the 9th ward by rebuilding a house. People from all over have a connection to this city, they love this city, they want to see it rebuilt, and I am beginning to understand why.

The final count for Carnival 2007 was an unbelievable and unexpected eight hundred thousand visitors. This has provided a much needed economic and morale boost for New Orleans.

jared