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No Mardi Gras, no worries: The party never stops in the French Quarter

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February 12, 2012|By Emily Sweeney

Tourists and clubgoers stroll on a packed Bourbon Street; revelers watch… (KATIE HUNT FOR THE BOSTON…)

NEW ORLEANS - Carnival season kicked off last month and ends with the grand finale next week on Feb. 21, Mardi Gras Day. Organizers spend months preparing lavish parades and Fat Tuesday celebrations, but don’t feel that you have to visit in February to enjoy all that New Orleans has to offer.

The city is steeped in history and has plenty of attractions, restaurants, 24-hour nightclubs, fun happenings, and festivities year-round. I took a whirlwind tour of the French Quarter in the off-season and quickly learned that it’s a great place to visit anytime. The party never stops.

Mardi Gras is just one of many festivals that the Crescent City hosts every year. There’s the Tennessee Williams New Orleans Literary Festival in March; the French Quarter Festival in April; the Greek Festival on Memorial Day Weekend, and Jazz Fest, a 10-day “cultural feast’’ that annually draws 400,000 visitors, this year in April and May. And sports fans, take note: The Louisiana Superdome will host the NCAA Men’s Final Four Basketball Championship next month, and Super Bowl XLVII next February.

Before booking your trip to the Big Easy, check out the city’s tourism website, NewOrleansOnline.com, to see what events are scheduled. There, you can download apps for your smartphone, print coupons, even request a free copy of the 2012 visitors guide.

Budget-savvy travelers should also check LivingSocial and Groupon for local deals. I spotted bargains for restaurants (as well as pole-dancing classes) and ended up getting dinner half-price at Marigny Brasserie (640 Frenchmen St., 504-945-4472, www.marignybrasserie.com).

Expect to see plenty of purple, gold, and green, the official colors of Mardi Gras. The same goes for the fleur-de-lis. You will hear shouts of “Who dat!’’ and see Saints fans of all ages sporting black and gold.

Revelers can be found roaming the French Quarter at all hours. In the early morning, when the smell of stale beer lingers in the air on Bourbon Street, you might spot a hardy party animal or two wandering the strip of bars, plastic “go-cups’’ in their hands. (Open plastic containers of alcohol are allowed on the streets; bottles and cans are not.)

One evening I found myself surrounded by a toga party erupting in the middle of the Bourbon Street. Partygoers of all ages were pumping their fists shimmying to classic “Animal House’’ hits. Beads were flying through the air. To my right, a toga-wearing gentleman with a white beard was doing the twist in the street. He looked like one of my college professors. To my left, a young woman in her 20s was dancing with a couple that might have been her grandparents. It was a spectacular sight.