The first recorded instance of celebrating Mardi Gras in Louisiana (March 2, 1699) was as part of an observance of Catholic practice. The people celebrating then might be a little surprised at how the annual Mardi Gras celebration goes in New Orleans. Having said that a 1730 account of the festitivities notes music and dance, masking and costuming, including cross-dressing. So not too far from the 2018 version.
For two weeks, leading up to Shrove Tuesday, New Orleans steps up its game from crazy party town to even-crazier party town. While folk in the UK celebrate Shrove Tuesday with pancakes that are eaten with sugar and lemon, like this:
everyone in New Orleans is enjoying beignets from Café du Monde:
Café du Monde is a New Orleans institution, and is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except for Christmas Day and days when "the occasional hurricane passes too close to New Orleans" (It did close when Katrina hit in 2005). No visit to New Orleans is complete without at least one late night or early morning trip there.
Feeling like you need to sit down and let the world revolve around you? Try the Carousel Piano Bar & Lounge inside the Hotel Monteleone on Royal Street in the French Quarter:
The bar rotates at a rate of one revolution every 15 minutes, but lines are long to get a seat. If you want to recreate the effect of a spinning room, have a French Absinthe or two (French-style is with cold water poured over a sugar cube) at the Pirate Alley Cafe:
Absinthe was banned in the early 1900s in the USA and most of the rest of the world. It was believed to be a dangerously addictive psychoactive drug and hallucinogen (The chemical compound thujone believed to be dangerous is present in the spirit in only trace amounts). Thankfully, common sense has prevailed and it is no longer banned, although it is unclear if that would matter in New Orleans. Many laws are not applicable: for example, drinking out of open containers is illegal almost everywhere in the USA, but is legal in New Orleans.
If you are looking for a way to determine when you've had enough absinthe, you can always check if you want to use the mobile kiss booth:
