Seasonal & Holidays

Photos: Mardi Gras Returns To New Orleans And The South

The full-dress parade returns to New Orleans after the COVID-19 pandemic canceled Mardi Gras street parties last year.

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The Krewe of Proteus rolls along the Uptown route with the theme "Divine Tricksters" in New Orleans on Monday. People are out to party as New Orleans’ first full-dress Mardi Gras since 2020.
The Krewe of Proteus rolls along the Uptown route with the theme "Divine Tricksters" in New Orleans on Monday. People are out to party as New Orleans’ first full-dress Mardi Gras since 2020. (Brett Duke/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)

ACROSS AMERICA — Celebrations for Mardi Gras have returned to the South for the first time in nearly two years.

Mardi Gras marks the end of the pre-Lent season. It's a time for indulgence, and the festivities being held this year have not disappointed. Marchers returned to the streets throwing multicolored beads and treats, and parade floats were decked in the traditional purple, yellow and green colors.

This year is particularly special for New Orleans, as it is the city's first full-dress parade since the pandemic began in 2020. COVID-19 cases are currently falling around the country.

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Parade routes were shortened to accommodate for the pandemic and lack of police presence. However, it did not put a damper on the festivities, as the city was still able to hold back-to-back parades. The streets were lined with spectators eager to catch beads, and colorful performances by dancers and floats dazzled the crowds.

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Mobile, Alabama, also celebrated its version of Mardi Gras with Joe Cain Day. Joe Cain Day celebrates a town clerk who started Mobile's modern Mardi Gras by dressing up and parading through town in the late 1860s after the Civil War.

Check out the photos below of the parades held in the South.

Paradegoers cheer as the Krewe of Zulu parade passes by during Mardi Gras on Tuesday in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
The Krewe of Proteus rolls along the Uptown route with the theme "Divine Tricksters" in New Orleans on Monday. (Brett Duke/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
A flambeaux carrier lights the way as the Krewe of Orpheus rolls along the Uptown route with the theme "Glacial Tomes and Conflagrations." (Brett Duke/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
A parade rider throws beads Sunday on Joe Cain Day during Mardi Gras in Mobile, Ala. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
Proteus CXLI greets the crowds along the Uptown route in New Orleans on Monday. (Brett Duke/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)

Elroy James, president of the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club Inc. waves at the Krewe of Zulu parade during Mardi Gras on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
The Krewe of Proteus rolls along the Uptown route in New Orleans. (Brett Duke/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
Sean McQuade yells for beads during a Mardi Gras parade Sunday on Joe Cain Day in Mobile, Ala. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
The U.S. Marine Corps 2nd MAW marching band of Cherry Point, N.C., performs at the Krewe of Zulu parade during Mardi Gras on Tuesday in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
A parade floats moves through the streets on Monday in New Orleans. (Brett Duke/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
Wayne Dean, dressed as Joe Cain, waves during a Mardi Gras parade Sunday in Mobile, Ala. Joe Cain Day — named for a clerk who started Mobile's modern Mardi Gras by dressing up and parading through town in the late 1860s after the Civil War — roared back to life after taking a year off because of the pandemic. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
A flambeaux carrier lines up to march at a parade on Monday in New Orleans. (Brett Duke/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)

The last float in a Mardi Gras parade passes by a throng in Mobile, Ala., on Sunday. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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