Happy Mardi Gras From NOLABA

After the suc­cess of the Super Bowl XLVI, New Orleans is now gear­ing up to host yet another great car­ni­val sea­son. The brief Mardi Gras pause has not deterred the city from get­ting amped up for parades, balls, cos­tumes and car­ni­val fun. Up to a mil­lion peo­ple visit the city to par­take in Car­ni­val par­ties and parades. These vis­i­tors come from near and far and boost the city’s tax rev­enues by pur­chas­ing  beads, food and drink, and hotel rooms. Last year, New Orleans’ 38,000 hotel rooms were 97% booked dur­ing Mardi Gras, pro­vid­ing an impor­tant boost to the tourism and hotel industries.

The most excit­ing and revered Mardi Gras tra­di­tion is the more than 100 parades rolling through the streets of New Orleans and sur­round­ing sub­urbs. Each year, Krewes spend up to $2,000 — $3,000 on mem­ber­ship fees, cos­tumes, balls and throws—providing yet another rev­enue boost to the local econ­omy. With more than 100,000 peo­ple rid­ing on floats, enthu­si­as­tic parade goers are sure to catch thou­sands of beads and highly sought after unique Krewe para­pher­na­lia. The parades add excite­ment and color to the streets of New Orleans and suburbs.

Last year’s Mardi Gras cel­e­bra­tion esti­mated a $300+ mil­lion impact and we expect close to the same num­bers this year. With every year, Mardi Gras con­tin­ues to have a pos­i­tive impact on our econ­omy. The team at NOLABA wishes every­one a safe and happy Car­ni­val season.