French Quarter Costumes on Fat Tuesday

After weeks of parades and parties and balls and carrying on, it all comes down to this - Mardi Gras Day or FAT TUESDAY. This day starts early, and it doesn't seem to matter how late anyone was out the night before. If you sleep in today, you're going to miss it. We are usually on our way to the Quarter by eight and when we get there the streets are already bustling with masked and costumed people.

Pat O'Brians opens the doors at 9 and we are there waiting for the official start of our day. From there, it is on to nearby Jackson Square to shoot the start of the KOE parade. If i am lucky i will make it down Royal in time to catch the last of Pete Fountain near the Monteleone. Then i am back to the other end looking for the folks of St Ann's. St Ann's used to be a great parade, but over the past few years it has become fragmented and sketchy - still they have a lot of great costumes and a playful fantasy-like feeling to it that it lots of fun.

From there, the rest of the day is spent wandering the Quarter, seeing old friends and making new ones. There are lots of other things that we could due. Several of the better big parades pass by over on Canal Street, but they are really crowded, and there is so much to see here. If Bourbon Street gets too crowded, we move over to Royal. It is amazing to see what some people come up with for costumes. They range from very simple to quite elaborate, but they all add to the celebration of the day.

A lot of the maskers start to head out in the mid afternoon, and as dark starts to settle on the streets of the Vue Carre, only a few remain. We used to stay and find a safe place to watch from as the police clear Bourbon Street at the stroke of midnight, but lately we've taken a "been there, done that" attitude. Shooting pictures all day tends to take something out of you. Maybe i'll just get rid of these last few strands of beads and head for the Bywater. Who knows, maybe i will even start editing some of these pictures.

Clicking on any of these pictures will give you a closer look.