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Ideas for a Mardi Gras Party

Ashwini Kulkarni Sule
Planning to throw a lavish bash for Mardi Gras? Read on to know the ideas that will help you to make it a good one.
Mardi Gras is a carnival celebrated over weeks. It begins on the day of Epiphany, and continues until the day before Lent or Ash Wednesday. It translates to Fat Tuesday in French and signifies the beginning of Lent period or 46 days before Easter.
Mardi Gras parties are popular all over the world; however, this season is celebrated with great joy and pomp in the New Orleans region of Louisiana. These parties truly reflect its festive spirit. In case you are planning to host one during this time in the year, these ideas should help you out.

Ideas and Tips
Purple, green and gold are Mardi Gras colors, which stand for justice, faith and power respectively. These parties revolve around these colors. Right from decorations to costumes to food, these three colors rule the party scene. As it is a carnival, lot of fun and excitement is there in parties. Follow these tips to throw an extravagant one for your guests:

Invitations

These should be sent at least a week or two before the event. Since Mardi Gras parties demand outlandish outfits and fair amount of preparation on your guests' part, a week's time should be sufficient enough for your guests to arrange for the necessities. Besides, you will also be able to get an estimated head count so that arranging for food becomes easier.
Make out invitations out of handmade festive masks in purple, green, and gold colors. Mention the details of the party such as day, date, venue, dress code, theme (if any), etc. You can also choose to send them online through email or social networking sites.

Decorations

As given here, purple, green, and gold are the favorite colors. So, make sure that your party decoration truly reflects these colors. Decorating the venue with balloons in these colors is the simplest thing to do. One can also get streamers and confetti in these colors and hang them around the party venue. You can also throw tablecloths in the theme colors.

Theme

The entire concept behind arranging this party is to come dressed as outlandishly as possible and have a great time with friends. Royalty theme is one of the popular themes for such parties. Couples can come dressed as Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, the infamous French royalty.
Another popular costume idea is to cross dress. Masquerade parties and prom nights are some other themes for this occasion. You can award the best dressed person in your party.

Entertainment

Fun activities are a must for any Mardi Gras party. Since it is a carnival, hire jugglers, magicians, and fire breathers, who can keep your guests mesmerized by their acts. Games are also a must as an icebreaker activity. Play jazz as your party music.

Food

Food is the heart and soul of any party, and Mardi Gras party is no exception. However, the general idea is to have those foods on the menu, which you won't be indulging in during the Lent period.
Traditional foods include Jambalaya, Crawfish bread, Andouille BBQ, Shrimp and Crab appetizers, Cheese straws, Natchitoches Meat Pies, Gumbo, etc. King cake and Bloody Mary are also the must-have items on a party menu.
Make sure that you have something to offer to every guest in terms of food and entertainment. Create a makeshift dance floor so that your guests can dance all night. Follow these ideas to host a memorable party this season.