Mardi Gras Celebrations Canceled in New Orleans, So Locals Decorate Their Homes

One of the most famous and popular ways to kick off the new year is to participate in Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday, refers to events of the Carnival celebration. These events typically begin on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany and culminate on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday. The largest Mardi Gras celebration typically takes place in New Orleans.

In simpler terms, Mardi Gras is the party where you go wild before giving up something for the Lent season. For non-religious folks, Mardi Gras is typically just a really great excuse to party. So, with COVID-19 wreaking havoc in the United States, does it really make sense to have a giant party? Of course not. So, is the tradition of Mardi Gras canceled for 2021? The answer is: yes, but also no.

According to CNN, Mardi Gras parades will not be permitted in 2021 at New Orleans' annual festival. So while the parade is a no-go, city officials are saying the holiday is definitely not canceled altogether. 

"I want to be very clear. Mardi Gras 2021 is not canceled. It is going to look different. The mayor has been very consistent about saying that at every stage," Beau Tidwell, communications director for Mayor LaToya Cantrell, told reporters during a press conference. Mardi Gras gets away with technically not being “canceled” because it is classified as a religious holiday, according to the city's website.

With COVID-19 cases and hospitalization at record highs all over the United States, the city of New Orleans needed to be proactive in their planning for the 2021 year, especially when it came to their most popular and tourist-driven holiday — Mardi Gras. With that, the city decided to impose new restrictions for Mardi Gras celebrations. Most notably is the cancellation of parades which could help prevent a super spreader event.

"There's no way that that's responsible given what we know about the pandemic right now," Tidwell explained. "So while we certainly want to move forward and find ways that we can celebrate, and we can mark this occasion, we have to do it safely. We have ... 10 more deaths in the last two weeks. The positivity rate doubled in the last week."

However, the cancellation of the typical New Orleans festivities aren't going to stop locals from celebrating. Local resident Megan Boudreaux spoke with Insider about how her idea of decorating for Mardi Gras spurred others to join in on the fun.

"I opened my big mouth on the internet and I said, 'Well, I'm just going decorate my house, and I'll throw things at my neighbors.' Everybody's got 200 pounds of beads and their attic from past Mardi Gras parades," she told the outlet. Now, people all over the city are turning their homes into lavishly decorated themed floats.

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