Party’s over: Raucous Fat Tuesday gives way to solemn Lent
NEW ORLEANS — Families camped out from early morning to catch beads and stuffed animals thrown from float riders. Revelers took to the streets in elaborate or funny costumes evoking Marie Antoinette, President Donald Trump and glamorous vampires. And amused bystanders took in the chaotic scene from lawn chairs.
Carnival season started Jan. 6 and came to a close Fat Tuesday with festivities throughout New Orleans. Wednesday marks the first day of Lent, a period of reflection and restraint after the days of parades, parties and revelry.
Throngs of people were on the median for the final day of Mardi Gras, cooking up crawfish and red beans and rice. Others had set up ladders for their kids to sit on and catch beads and throws from the passing Zulu parade, one of two main parades that take to the streets on Fat Tuesday.
Joseph Rhyans moved to Houston in 2002 but tries to come back every year. This time he’d brought two of his kids, one of whom was sitting on a ladder catching bobbles from the passing Zulu parade.