2021 marked the first time New Orleans’ Mardi Gras parades have been cancelled in 42 years. But if there is one word to describe the people of New Orleans, it’s resilient. Despite wars, natural disasters, and pandemics, residents have never failed to celebrate the Carnival season however possible. This year community leaders, local artists, and residents joined together on measures to cut down on virus transmission and created new traditions that will be cemented in Mardi Gras offerings for years to come.
The last time the official Mardi Gras parades were cancelled in New Orleans happened in the midst of the Police Union Strike of 1979. Even months after Hurricane Katrina devastated the region in 2005, the people of New Orleans rebounded in spirit to continue with their annual Carnival celebrations, albeit downscaled slightly. The Mardi Gras cancellations due to COVID-19 eerily fall approximately a century after being affected by our last pandemic, the Spanish Flu.
The city’s celebrations kicked off on January 6, which is known as Epiphany in the Christian faith, marking the beginning of the Carnival season culminating in Mardi Gras before the commencement of Lent. In an effort to cut down on the spread of COVID-19, this year’s offerings included drive-by events, a socially-distanced scavenger hunt, virtual experiences, and a photo contest.
For February 16, specifically, Mayor Latoya Cantrell implemented restrictions for some of the more popular attractions throughout the city. Namely, bars were ordered to shut down from Friday, February 12 to Tuesday, February 16, but restaurants were permitted to stay open as long as they did not serve takeout drinks. All liquor sales were banned in the French Quarter and Bourbon Street was closed starting at 7pm. To prevent any large gatherings, certain streets were fenced off and only restaurant patrons, shoppers, and hotel guests were allowed to travel through aforementioned areas. Any establishment in the city found to be breaking these rules would be shut down immediately.
The real star of Mardi Gras this year was what is now affectionately known as “Yardi Gras.” As a direct result of the parade cancellations, residents pivoted to the idea of house floats. Houses around the city were decorated in a variety of themes from traditional Mardi Gras decorations to pop culture references. Tour maps were made available for residents and tourists to take socially-distanced tours of the house floats by foot or car. This innovative idea was the result of an Internet suggestion, which lead to the creation of Carnival social organization, The Krewe of House Floats founded by Megan Boudreaux, and the city’s newest Mardi Gras tradition. The creation of these house floats supported local artists who began making and selling decorations, as well as commissioning full house float projects. The community banded together quickly to make this vision a reality and true works of art.
A second New Orleans non-profit organization, The Krewe of Red Beans, kickstarted the “Hire a Mardi Gras Artist” campaign designed to support unemployed artists as they worked on these commissioned house float projects. They have now raised over $100,000 meeting and surpassing their original goal of $500. Once the funds to support the house floats and the artists had been allotted, remaining donations were then focused on adding public art to the city and the continual support of local artists. These house floats will remain up for viewing a full week following Mardi Gras and then will be auctioned off at the Contemporary Arts Center.
The Krewe of House Floats also launched their own giving campaign of $100,000 on January 21 to combat food and housing scarcity as well as supporting those artists and culture bearers unemployed as a direct result of the pandemic and the cancellation of the city’s biggest tourist draw and revenue booster. For a city that is the equivalent of a phoenix rising out of the ashes, New Orleans truly adapted to make the most out of an unfortunate situation. The community spirit, new traditions, and grassroots campaigns may have well saved them from a catastrophic economic hit during their most celebrated and tourist-attracting event of the year.
Just as our world will never be the same again, Mardi Gras will never be what it once was. It will be better. The people of New Orleans should be an inspiration of resilience for us all as we come out on the other side of this worldwide crisis. Mardi Gras 2021 will not go down in history as the year the spirit and the celebrations stopped. But rather, the year a community was strengthened and new life-long traditions were formed.