Today was the Aladdin Mardi Gras parade. This picture shows the Royal Maids approaching with the long line of floats and bands behind them. As a parent of the Royal Maids, I sat in a special section of the reviewing stands, high above the crowds, which made for a great place to get some photos.

Mardi Gras in the New Orleans area is a family tradition. Families gather along the parade route with their blankets and picnic lunches to sit and wait for the parade to arrive. It is a wonderful time to be with family and friends and a great way to spend time with your kids. Riding in a Mardi Gras parade is something that many families do together and is a wonderful experience. It takes a lot of work to organize 500 members, bands, marching clubs, and others who parade. Some krewes are larger and some are smaller. There are krewes that are just women or men; some are family organizations with mixed krewes. Many people only see the French Quarter side of Mardi Gras and don’t get to appreciate the family tradition. You will be seeing lots of Mardi Gras photos from me for the next week and a half as my family experiences the Mardi Gras that many outside of southern Louisiana don’t get to see. Here is one of my favorites from the day.




There are more in my carnival gallery http://pbase.com/etfitz/carnival and lots more to process.