Now that the Carnival season has come to an end, we at MardiGrasNewOrleans.com want to hear your about your adventures.

Send us your pics, videos, stories and anything else you may have picked up along the way during your stay here in New Orleans. Chances are we will feature them on the site. Please remember to keep it clean, and family friendly, y’all.

As for the team here, we couldn’t have had a better time. From dressing up in costume as a ballerina, clown or a even a tree, we made the most of our Mardi Gras celebration. We had the best time catching Endymion from the stands at Michaul’s, walking down Royal Street during Fat Tuesday, and taking it all in on the balcony of the Royal Sonesta.

Check out our photo gallery for more!

Actor Val Kilmer to reign as King of Bacchus 2009 and musician Kid Rock will serve as Grand Marshall of Endymion 2009.  Endymion returns to its  Mid-City route  Saturday February 21, 2009 at 4:00 pm.  Bacchus can be seen on its Uptown route Sunday February 22, 2009  at 5:15 pm.

When shopping for your or your loved ones’ Halloween costume, be sure to keep in mind that Mardi Gras is right around the corner.

Mardi Gras, especially in New Orleans, is a great excuse to dress up, and residents of the Crescent City sometimes go decades without missing the chance to don a crazy costume.

After you have decided what to be, or what to dress your children as for the 2008 Halloween festivities, start thinking about costume ideas for February of next year. Be careful not to buy any costume materials until after Halloween, however, to make sure you get your costume gear at the lowest prices.

Mardi Gras is a great opportunity to step outside yourself and partake in a community of celebration. Don’t miss out on the chance to have a great costume while doing so!

Although the next Fat Tuesday is over 9 months away, it can never hurt to plan ahead.

Since Mardi Gras is celebrated in only certain places of the world, with each their own tradition, many items or “take-aways” have and will become hot commodities for collectors.

The next time you visit New Orleans to catch beads, see parades, eat king cake and take in some culture, be mindful of the unique items you encounter. There are collectors who scour Ebay for particular year or parade doubloons, a gold Zulu coconut or an ornate flashing string of beads. At any time, there are framed posters or parade krewe memorabilia that go for hundreds, if not thousands of dollars each.

It’s the little things that come together to make Mardi Gras in New Orleans one of the best free shows on Earth, so if you find yourself in the Crescent City during carnival time, think twice about stepping over that plastic souvenir cup or trading some beads. Who knows? It could pay off. And in any case, you’ll be left with a little piece of history.

We want to let you know briefly about Compucast Interactive, the New Orleans-based web design company behind Mardi Gras New Orleans. Compucast designs and hosts sites for many prominent and well-known New Orleans restaurants, hotels, and other businesses and has been doing so since the company was started by Judy Weitz in the late 1990’s.

Compucast is committed to New Orleans’ culture, food, and festivals, and we are honored to bring you information about New Orleans most famous event – Mardi Gras!

So we hope you enjoy the site, we hope you find the information helpful, and we urge you to call or email us if you have any questions.

Make plans now to attend Mardi Gras 2009.  Most visitors want to arrive for the big weekend prior to Fat Tuesday which means you would want to arrive by Friday, February 20, 2009.  While the nightly parades actually begin two weekends before Mardi Gras Day, the long carnival weekend just prior to the big day includes the Super krewes such as the Krewe of Endymion, Krewe of Bacchus, Krewe of Orpheus and, of course, the Krewe of Zulu and the Krewe of Rex on Mardi Gras Day.

If you are ever confused as to “when is Mardi Gras” or “why is Mardi Gras on a different day each year”, just keep in mind that Fat Tuesday is always the day before Ash Wednesday…the first day of Lent…47 days prior to Easter Sunday.

Mardi Gras Day, 2008, was February 5…the earliest it’s been in a very long time and the earliest it will be for quite a while (thank goodness!).  Since the nightly parades begin two weeks prior to Fat Tuesday, the parades this year began in mid-January…which can be quite cold.  However, the weather didn’t stop parade revelers from having a fabulous time.

Kevin Costner thrilled the massive crowds that lined the streets of Mid-City for the Krewe of Endymion.  2008 was the first year this extremely popular parade returned to their traditional route (since Hurricane Katrina).    The pre-parade party on Orleans Avenue was a festival by itself…but then the parade started rolling at City Park & Orleans which brought tears to the eyes of everyone as this was yet another sign that New Orleans is recovering and life is back to normal.

Based on the crowds that lined St. Charles Avenue Mardi Gras Day and the traditional Mardi Gras madness in the French Quarter, the early arrival of Mardi Gras didn’t affect the spirit of Carnival that is unique to New Orleans!

Twelth Night, or January 6th, opens Mardi Gras season 2008. The krewe of Phunny Phorty Phellows will take a not so traditional route this year on the street cars. Beginning at 7pm, they will travel a route street cars have never taken, through Mid-City, the CBD, Uptown, and back.

Wrestler and reality show star Hulk Hogan will reign as celebrity king when Bacchus celebrates 40 years with the theme 40 Years of Fun on February 3, 2008.

Endymion will return to the traditional Mid-City route February 2, 2008 with Kevin Costner as the Grand Marshall. Costner’s ride will come as Endymion returns to its traditional Mid-City route after two years of parading Uptown after Katrina. Endymion captain Ed Muniz plans for the parade to still start at 4:00 p.m. with a big party preceding it.