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.

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.