The famous carnival in New Orleans
OUR open-topped bus wound slowly through the streets of New Orleans, music pumping from its speakers.
Every inch of pavement and grassy boulevard was crammed with people cheering and waving, trying to catch a glimpse of the stars on board.
Among them were Lisa Vanderpump from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, someone from CSI Miami…and me.
Wearing white and purple sateen pyjamas, a gold mask and Jackoesque fingerless white gloves, I was on board the Orpheus float as part of the city’s annual Mardi Gras celebrations.
A sozzled-looking woman whipped up her top and jiggled her boobs, begging us to throw her some beads. Instead I threw a handful to a little girl perched on her dad’s shoulders, deciding she was more deserving.
While securing a place on most of the 95 official floats requires membership of a “krewe” and a pile of cash, the Sheraton hotel sells 20 tickets each year to guests desperate to tick the experience off their bucket lists.
At around £3,000 per person, including five nights in a suite at the hotel, tickets to the swanky “Orpheuscapade” ball plus lots of food and booze, it isn’t cheap. But this is real once-in-a-lifetime stuff.
For those with less cash to splash, there’s plenty to enjoy on the ground during Mardi Gras, which this year falls from February 5 to 9.
Just wandering the streets is an experience and one that requires some Bear Grylls-style survival preparation.
For starters, have a beer or hurricane cocktail (rum, fruit juice and grenadine syrup) in hand. The city allows drinking in the streets and you can even weave between bars carrying the same beverage.
And look out for stray beads being thrown from
ELLA BUCHAN the floats – we saw a few black eyes and scraped cheekbones. Those Venetian-style masks aren’t just for decoration.
Above all, go with the slow flow. This is no time for rushing. Dance, catch some beads as the parades pass and soak up the atmosphere.
The main action centres on Canal Street, the easiest spot for watching parades.
Then there’s Bourbon Street which runs through the heart of the historical French Quarter. It’s like walking into a lion’s den – if the lion had 24/7 access to booze.
The action only stops for a few hours after sunrise when the streets are hosed down with disinfectant.
At all other times revellers in crowns, masks, robes, Snoopy costumes or nothing at all dance, drink and make very, very merry.
Some hotels and bars, including Maison Bourbon, sell tickets to VIP parties held on their cast-iron balconies.
The elegant Royal Sonesta hotel offers an oasis in the heart of Bourbon Street’s madness and a taste of what New Orleans does best – jazz.
We headed to its Desire oyster bar for crawfish cheesecake and chicken fried steak before settling into the dimlylit bar at Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse for the show. I sipped a Sazerac – a blend of rye RUGBY BREAK: Get entry to the Twickenham World Rugby Museum & Stadium Tour and one night B&B at the three-star President Hotel for £81pp. Arrive on February 26. Check out superbreak. com or call 0800 042 0288. DEVON: Hire 1 Castle Cottage, one of a cluster of country whiskey, bitters, sugar and absinthe – and nodded along to the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra.
Further respite can be found just outside the French Quarter on Frenchmen Street where the locals go out to play. Every night of the year the air is filled with the sounds of happy chatter and saxophones.
The Spotted Cat, Maison and d.b.a. are some of the best spots to catch live bands.
Most bars offer free entry, including BMC (Balcony Music Club), where a hip-hop brass band were mashing up Dr Dre and When The Saints Go Marching In.
For a late-night snack, 13 Monaghan is a cool diner where the tables are plastered with retro film posters and po-boy sandwiches are crammed with roast beef or cheese and mushrooms.
After browsing the Frenchmen Art Market which sells jewellery, crafts and voodoo fridge magnets every Saturday night, we strolled back through the French Quarter. Then it was time for another New Orleans tradition – beignets at Café Royale, just steps from the Mississippi River. During the day, queues snake down the street from the green and white awning of this cafe. But after midnight you can easily grab a seat at one of the outdoor plastic tables. The only items on the menu are milky coffee and a trio of beignets. Eating these crisp, airy doughnuts, served buried in icing sugar is much like the New Orleans Mardi Gras experience – indulgent, messy and a real head rush but every bite is a treat. cottages with leisure facilities at Tuckenhay Mill in Tuckenhay village for a week for £380. It sleeps five in three bedrooms and one pet is also welcome. Arrive on February 6. See cottages.com or dial 0345 498 6900. BARBADOS: Book by January 31 for a week all-inclusive at the four-star Almond Beach Resort in Saint Peter Parish from £1,179. Fly from Gatwick between May and October (not August). See secret escapes.com or call 0843 22 77 777. MALTA: Go from Gatwick on March 20 for five nights’ B&B at the three-star San Pawl Hotel in St Paul’s Bay for £215. To book call 0871 277 0090 or visit Opodo.co.uk.