Carnival fever is spreading around campus with students and faculty catching the regional epidemic known as Mardi Gras.
No matter where students grew up, they should fully embrace this unique Louisiana tradition before graduating. The time has come to throw down the textbooks and throw up both hands to catch the collegiate Mardi Gras experience.
But what to do during the weekend free of school and full of celebratory potential? Travel east and do it big in the Big Easy or stay put and experience the variety of festivities offered in capital area?
Here are a few suggestions for Mardi Gras first-timers venturing to the cultural hub of New Orleans.
Before I begin, if a reader resides in the 504 area code, they should stop reading. Now.
I acknowledge every fiber of your soul speaks the internal dialogue of the city, and no writer, especially one from the 337 area code, could capture the immensity of Mardi Gras and love of “your” city. But moving along…
The magnitude of events occurring in the city stagger from the constant procession of floats parading down St. Charles Avenue to the numerous nooks and crannies to grab a drink (or two, or five), hear live music or see a spectacle of locals and tourists partying like it’s 1999.
Grabbing a hand grenade (the drink) and rubbing shoulders with an excess of tourists down Bourbon Street provides a great collective visual of carnival, but keep moving and venture away from the tourist hot spot toward Esplanade Avenue and patronize the legendary Port of Call restaurant.
Order the famous — or should I say infamous — “Monsoon” cocktail. One word of warning: Only order one, unless your tolerance for rum trounces the drinking capabilities of Jack Sparrow.
Embrace the open container policy while sipping on the deadly, delicious concoction and walk over to historical Frenchmen Street and listen to Charmaine Neville, member of the famous Neville musical clan, on Friday and Monday and Topsy Chapman on Saturday at local jazz joint Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro. Students can also jam with Louisiana-native band Better Than Ezra at the House of Blues on Friday and Saturday nights.
A plethora of parades cruise the city throughout the weekend. Try to watch the Krewe of Tucks on Saturday and catch some toilet memorabilia. On Sunday evening, spectate the legendary Krewe of Bacchus as it rolls down St. Charles Avenue led by Andy Garcia as he reigns as the krewe’s king.
But some students may rest in Baton Rouge with plenty of parades and performances to celebrate the season.
The Krewe of Southdowns plans to parade through the local neighborhood beginning at 7 p.m. Friday. After the parade, head down Perkins Road and sway to the regional tunes of the Cajun band Jesse Lége and Joel Savoy at Chelsea’s Cafe at 10:30 p.m.
On Saturday, look out for crossing flamingos as the flamboyant Spanish Town parade, themed BP Blows and Wiki Leaks, proceeds through the neighborhood at noon.
After the parades wrap up downtown, head over to Boudreaux and Thibodeaux’s and dance cover-free to Luv Sexy from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. and The Chase Tyler Band at 9 p.m.
The countless events in Baton Rouge and New Orleans staggers throughout the Mardi Gras break. Students will rarely get such an extended amount of time off to let their hair down and act like kids, so go to the parades, aggressively catch beads as though they weren’t made of plastic, dance with strangers to live music and don’t forget to drink the Kool-Aid.
We only have four Mardi Gras holiday breaks in our college careers (most of us, that is), so make them count.
As Aaron Neville says, “Go to the Mardi Gras.”
 
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Contact Jeanne Lyons at [email protected]