It’s the time of year that Mardi Gras takes center stage, and it’s a perfect time to enjoy this very fun, often outrageous season. Whether you live in the land where Fat Tuesday is a national holiday or if you’re unfortunately located where it’s just a regular Tuesday, take this opportunity to shake away any winter blues and have a blast. Mardi Gras is for everyone!
If you need some help making your Mardi Gras party that event that is regaled for years to come, we’ve got you covered. Here are a few tips to make sure that your Mardi Gras party is magnificent.
- The first order of business is to make sure that your home or party locale is decked out to the nines. Go with a lot of purple, green, and gold (the official colors of Mardi Gras), and you can’t go wrong. Balloons, streamers, garland, confetti, and maybe even a pinata would be great for any party–most definitely the little ones. If you’re going for a little swankier look, you might want to have a lavish wreath on your front door, colored lights, masquerade masks, and of course, beads. Lots and lots of beads are definitely needed for any Mardi Gras party for the young ones and those who are young at heart. Just let your imagination be your guide. You really can’t go wrong in the decoration department for a Mardi Pardi.
- Before we get to probably the most important aspect of the party—the food. Create an elegant, extravagant, and fun tablescape. White or black tablecloths are always classy, but this is the season to just have fun! If you want to go overboard with your decorations and tablescape, this is the time to do so. Purple, green, and gold tablecloths are always fabulous, but if you want your table to dazzle, you might want to line the sides of your table with Mardi Gras-colored glitter table skirt streamers you can get at any party store. Put a dash of colored confetti down the table for a festive look. Assemble masquerade and jester masks artfully on your table and add a few ribbon streamers around them. For your centerpiece, a lovely bouquet of yellow roses, sunflowers, daisies, or whatever your favorite flowers are would be lovely. Accent the centerpiece with some fun Mardi Gras adornments and beads.
- As with any Southern holiday, food always takes center stage. Since the Lent tradition of abstaining from meat or giving up some food or habit is coming up, go all out with food selections. Make sure your spread is fully stocked with great foods and drinks. This is the time when decadence and extravagance are totally accepted. Besides, holiday calories don’t count! Treat your guests to a healthy helping of New Orleans-inspired dishes. You can’t go wrong with a good gumbo or jambalaya. Po’boys with all the trimmings will be a huge hit. Don’t forget about a huge pot of red beans and rice. Beignets and other sweets are great to have on hand, but the star of the party is always the King Cake. You might want to have a couple on hand because who doesn’t love King Cake? You can have a selection of flavors, such as cream cheese, strawberry, or whatever your pleasure—just as long as it’s covered in that delicious glaze and Mardi Gras-colored sprinkles.
- Have a variety of drink selections for your Krewe. New Orleans-themed drinks such as Hurricanes or daiquiris go with the theme of the party, but make sure that you have plenty of choices for the nondrinkers and kiddos, too. Lemonade, Grape and Pineapple punch, Coke, water, and of course, the true house wine of the South—sweet tea.
- A Mardi Gras party is simply not complete without lots of fun music that will have everyone wanting to get up and dance. Classics, such as “Mardi Gras Mambo” and the “Second Line” are a must to your musical repertoire, and add lots of fun, upbeat songs to your playlist that will keep the party going all night long.
- Make sure to have some fun activities for the little ones and the big kids too. Face painting, scavenger hunts, cornhole tournaments, games, and movies are all great to keep the party going. A great idea for the kids is to let them get dressed up and parade around your yard or home and have their own Mardi Gras parade. Have beads, cups, moon pies, and toys for them to give out to get them into the spirit of the event.
- Don’t let just the little ones have all the fun. Get decked out in your finest and flashiest attire for an elegant look or just go crazy with your wardrobe selection and include lots of purple, green, and gold sparkles, sequins, and feathers. Anything goes. The more outrageous the better.
- Photo booths are all the rage at any occasion. Decorate a little spot for your photo shoots, selfies, and #mardigraspartypics. All party stores have cute Mardi Gras backdrops, depicting parade scenes, New Orleans locations, and so much more, but if you’d like to do your own thing, a backdrop of shiny green, gold, and purple streamers would look great or make use of your leftover metallic wrapping paper from Christmas and hang it for the backdrop. Line the backdrop with lights, garlands, and beads. Make sure to have plenty of fun props on hand to add even more splash to the fun. Mardi Gras colored hats, boas, headbands, beads, and just anything fun you can think of. The pictures will be great reminders of a very fun time.
There is only one cardinal rule to making sure that your Mardi Gras party is epic — have fun! Laissez les bon temps Rouler!!
