Mardi Gras parades were cancelled in New Orleans for the first time in more than 40 years.
But New Orleans residents have found a creative solution: turn their houses themselves into floats.
The drive to create “house floats” is supporting a community of local artists who lost their jobs.
Mardi Gras looks different for New Orleans residents this year.
Back in November, Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced the cancellation of festivities. The city made a point to note that while Mardi Gras itself can’t be cancelled, the city won’t be able to “celebrate the holiday this year as we have in the past.”
The pandemic has cancelled New Orleans Mardi Gras parade So thousands are creating house floats inquirer.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from inquirer.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Thousands of New Orleans residents turn their own homes into Mardi Gras floats after the city cancels this year s festival amid the COVID pandemic
Tens of thousands of people usually pack into downtown New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras in February and March each year
City officials have cancelled this year s festivities amid the COVID-19 pandemic
But many locals are refusing to let the pandemic dampen their party spirit, and are now turning their homes into parade floats to bring color and flair to the city
More than 9,000 people have joined the Krewe of House Floats Facebook page and are in the process of transforming their homes into eye-catching displays
By Janet McConnaughey, Associated Press
Jan 29, 2021
Photo by AP Photo/Janet McConnaughey
All around New Orleans, thousands of houses are being decorated as floats because the coronavirus pandemic has canceled parades.
What started off as a joke on Twitter has now become a movement spreading throughout neighborhoods in New Orleans. share this article
You just can’t keep a good city down, especially when Mardi Gras is coming. All around New Orleans, thousands of houses are being decorated as floats because the coronavirus outbreak canceled the elaborate parades mobbed by crowds during the Carnival season leading to Fat Tuesday.
Some smaller groups announced no-parade plans before the city did. Pandemic replacements include scavenger hunts for signature trinkets that normally would be thrown from floats or handed out from a streetcar, as well as outdoor art and drive-through or virtual parades. The prominent Krewe of Bacchus has an app where people can catch and trade