My First Mardi Gras!

I had been looking forward to Mardi Gras ever since I was accepted to Loyola last year. Although I didn't know what to expect, I got a glimpse of what Mardi Gras would be like last week when I went to celebrate the super bowl win downtown and attended the saints parade. After those experiences, I knew I was going to have a great time celebrating Mardi Gras, which I definitely did. 

I attended parades on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday all of which I really enjoyed. My favorite ones were Muses and Zulu. I liked Muses because of the creative and girly floats and throws they had. I liked Zulu because the people in the parade were so into it and they were having a great time, which made me have a great time. I became obsessed with catching as many beads as I could, which also made it a lot of fun. I also loved how people were going crazy for the coconuts, I didn't get one unfortunately. Another thing I especially loved about all the parades were the bands and dancers. In DC, where I'm from, marching bands are not a big deal at all. I had never seen flag girls and baton twirlers before, I loved watching them. 

Another aspect of Mardi Gras that I loved, besides the parades, was the atmosphere in general. I loved walking down Saint Charles and seeing families, fraternities and sororities, friends, and neighbors setting up their spots and socializing. It made me wish that I had grown up in New Orleans and experienced Mardi Gras as a kid because it seemed like so much fun to sit out with your family and friends all day cooking, eating, singing, and dancing. It made me really wish my family could have seen it, I know they would have loved it. Although they weren't here, I sent them all my pictures because I figured that would be the best way to describe Mardi Gras since it is kind of unexplainable to those who haven't experienced it. I am really glad I did and I can't wait to do it again next year!