The 2007 New Orleans Mardi Gras

by Toni

If you've got a few spare pennies in the piggy bank, the 2007 New Orleans Mardi Gras runs from April 13-15. It's the premiere party of the year. A chance to enjoy life, party and have jolly good time. Irresistibly fun, vibrant and sassy, a chance to wear your most outrageous costumes!

Even now, it is still possible to get hotel accommodation for the event but you have to be quick! Hotels on the actual parade route are often cheaper because they're not in the French Quarter where most tourists insists on staying. So they're the best deal! Many mistakenly believe Mardi Gras parades occur only in the French Quarter. But remember, there are no guarantees, and a last minute trip needs to be thoroughly planned.

So if you seriously plan on going here are some do's and dont's to surviving and making it home with all of your bits in the right places:

Respect the police! These guys are overworked during Carnival. They are the world's best at crowd control, and during Mardi Gras they have to be tolerant of usually unacceptable behavior. Long shifts, Parade Duty, drunks, traffic accidents, lost kids, fights, rowdy crowds, nuisance complaints and a myriad of other incidents keep them busy 24 hours a days. If an officer tells you to do something, cooperate!

It's okay to consume beer openly on the streets as long as it's in a can or cup, no glass or bottles. However, there is a drinking age and it is rigorously enforced. Don't get overly drunk, be obnoxious, or or generally misbehave in public; the police don't have a great sense of humour, and its easy to get arrested. The police on duty have an efficient system for arresting, booking, and carting you off to for a night in the cells. It keeps them available for street duty, and the troublemakers like you out of the way! :)

Dress in costume! It's the one season of the year you can dress up as anything imaginable! There are contests for costumes in every part of the city, and the crowd-watching is as much fun as the parades! Bring a cheap camera, one that don't have to guard with your life.

For loads more info and tips head on over to http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com

And if you can't make it this year, there's always 2008!

Love Girls