Mardi Gras is an essential part of what gives New Orleans its unique charm.
It is New Orleans’ claim to fame. But this year it was held in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which some have said was a mistake.
John Wayne Leggit, 43-year-old New Orleans resident, said holding Mardi Gras sent the wrong message to the rest of the world.
“We were already slipping from the minds of the country,” Leggit said. “Holding Mardi Gras just says that we’re ready to get drunk and party even though half of the goddamn city is missing.”
Though Leggit said the people of the city needed a boost in morale from Mardi Gras, he said this was not the right time to do so.
“I’ve always thought of Mardi Gras as a stupid holiday,” Leggit said. “It makes us look bad, and holding it now is pointless.”
Leggit said all who came to Mardi Gras should be forced to tour Lakeview and the 9th Ward – the two most highly affected areas.
Not all agree with Leggit. Joan
Magner, 67-year-old New Orleans
resident, said holding Mardi Gras was a good thing. While it may have sent a negative message to the rest of the world, it was good for the people of New Orleans, he said.
 
Crowds
This year’s crowd was estimated to be one of the lowest in recent years.
But the drop in attendance did not deter the thousands who came to continue the Mardi Gras tradition.
St. Charles Avenue is the longest stretch on the uptown parade route, and it has always been one of the more crowded streets during Mardi Gras.
Endymion, a parade that normally runs in mid-city and has been designated a “superkrewe,” was rained out Saturday, and was pushed back to the uptown route Sunday following Bacchus, another “superkrewe.”
The result was crowds beginning at the neutral ground and carried over into side streets, blocks away from where the parade could be seen.
The lovably wretched smell of spilled bourbon and sun-dryed cans of Natural Light flooded the noses of the crowd who walked down St. Charles. Cigarettes, accidental pushing and swinging fists created interesting obstacles for anyone attempting to walk a few blocks as screams of “Throw me something!” could be heard above the din.
Jonathon Burns, a 37-year-old New Orleans resident, said he had never seen St. Charles Avenue so crowded.
“I would have thought, you know, that Mardi Gras was going to be empty, what with the hurricane and all,” Burns said.
It was nearly impossible to walk through the crowd that lingered for longer than usual because Bacchus stalled for quite a while, holding up Endymion.
 
Police
With all the Mardi Gras activity, NOPD had a lot to deal with.
Arthur Hardy, creator of the “Mardi Gras Guide,” said a decreased number of police presented New Orleans with a problem that officers attempted to rectify by shortening the parade routes.
Despite their efforts, Magner said, it was still a problem, even though the police were more strict this year than in previous ones.
“At 3 o’clock [on Mardi Gras day] police were walking down the neutral ground telling everyone to go home, that it was over,” Magner said.
The lifetime New Orleans resident said police attempt to clear the streets at about 3 p.m. and the French quarter at midnight every year, but this year they were much more fierce about it.
“There was a lack of police, so they had to push harder to get everything cleared,” Magner said.
Mardi Gras has always been a time of debauchery, drinking and hell-raising, and Hurricane Katrina did not stop the fun this year.
 
Contact Travis Andrews at [email protected]