Flambeaux are gas-fueled torches that were used to light night parades. Hundreds of them lighted the first Comus parade and had been the only source of light until street lights and then generators to light the floats. Now fibre optic lighting is on several floats in New Orleans, but not all floats have them. Less than fifty of the original flambeaux still exist and are used in six parades today for decoration only. Now-a-days parade-goers throw coins at the feet of the flambeaux carriers, who dance the parade route with the torches. Now there are modern flambeaux with propane (for safety reasons) mainly used for decoration.

 

Mardi Gras Indians are African-Americans masked and dressed as Indians. There are several groups of them and they call themselves tribes or gangs. They practice frequently throughout the year and do not march with other parades. They usually do not have an arranged parade route and limit their marches on Fat Tuesday to African-American neighborhoods.

The doubloon was created by H. Alvin Sharpe and is an aluminum coin with the krewe's symbol and the year established imprinted on it. The doubloon was the first of the krewe specific throws. Most parades have them.

 

Costumes have been a major part of celebrating Mardi Gras, not just with the krewe, but also with New Orleans' families dressed up as anything. The krewe's court also wears costumes to make them look like they are real monarchs. The krewe members have different costumes annually depending on the title of their float. A New Orleans' law says they must mask and usually the krewe gives them plastic masks. Their costumes are all the same on each float and can be made to look like a person, an animal, or a scene from a story.

Ladders are set up throughout the parade route by families so young children can have a safe and fun way to view the parade. Several have wooden seats at the top so it is comfortable and the children can't fall out. It is easier for them to be seen and puts them right up with the floats.

 

High school marching bands and dance groups participate in most parades. Often you will only hear the drummers playing. That is because it takes a lot of work to play the other instruments and march three to five miles.

 

A truck from Elks' Orleanians Truck parades take place only on Fat Tuesday and are usually after a major Mardi Gras parade such as Rex. Anyone can participate if a friend or relative of theirs has a truck and invites them to ride. Children can also ride and each truck usually has a theme with riders in costumes. The trucks are judged at a reviewing stand for several categories.

 

Boat parades take place during Mardi Gras. Several yachts are decorated but the people on them can not throw beads to people on other boats to avoid littering the rivers but they throw beads to the people on shore.

 

Dog parades take place in New Orleans and in Mandeville, Louisiana (which is twenty-four miles north of New Orleans). New Orleans' parade is known as Barkus and Mandeville's parade is called Mardi Paws. Both have dogs for royalty and anyone can march with their pet for a fee. The dogs either walk or ride in baby strollers, grocery carts, or wagons decorated with a theme designated by the krewe. Most of the dogs and their owners are in costumes and the parades are followed by post-parade parties outdoors.

Second line is a dance step of bands. These bands usually don't appear in krewes' parades, but have their own unorganized ones to celebrate Mardi Gras. The band plays and marches normally and then start a dance as they play, the second line.

 

The official start of the Carnival season is the ball of the historic Twelfth Night Revelers and the streetcar parade of the Krewe of Phorty Phunny Phellows.

Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World is the warehouse where floats are created for the majority of the Mardi Gras parades. Blaine Kern is referred to as "Mr. Mardi Gras" because he has produced the most floats ever. Blaine Kern Artists owns the most parade floats in the world.

 

Museums dedicated to Mardi Gras in the New Orleans include the Louisiana State Museum and the Mardi Gras Museum.