WATCH A PARADE

Revel in the bawdy French Quarter or catch a parade? Which parade?

Do you plan to wear a costume on the big day? Politically themed? Historic? Risque? All of the above?

New Orleans is entering the height of its annual pre-Lenten Carnival season, culminating on Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, which falls on Feb. 28 this year. Travelers to the city face an abundance of choices on how, when and where to take it all in.

Among the things to do:

This isn’t as simple as it sounds. Deciding where, when and how to catch any of the dozens of New Orleans area parades — and which ones to watch — involves planning.

New Orleans’ major parades, the ones with marching bands and masked riders who throw beads and other trinkets from elaborate floats, begin this year on Feb. 17. Most follow a route along historic St. Charles Avenue onto Canal Street, the broad downtown boulevard at the edge of the French Quarter — although the giant floats of Endymion, the celebritystudded procession set for Feb. 25, lumber through the Mid-City neighborhood.

You can join the throngs on the route. They show up with lawn chairs, ice chests, trays of barbecue, buckets of fried chicken and step ladders with little seats bolted to the top to give the kids a better vantage point.

You can pay big bucks at one of the fine-dining restaurants that erect bleachers out front so you can catch the processions while sipping your Sazerac cocktail.

Often overlooked are smaller processions. For instance, Krewe du Vieux’s satirical and raunchy parade with smaller, handdrawn floats rolls through the French Quarter and neighboring areas on Feb. 11. A week later, sci-fi, fantasy and horror fans don costumes evoking any of a variety of pop culture icons from Ewoks to zombies for the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus stroll through the Marigny neighborhood. be reserved well in advance.

Costs including membership fees, costumes and “throws” (beads, little stuffed toys, etc.) can be hefty for the major parades. Some travel agency and hotel packages include a four-night stay with a spot in Harry Connick Jr.’s Feb. 27 Krewe of Orpheus parade for more than $4,000. On the other end of the cost scale are the walking clubs, like Chewbacchus, which has annual dues of $42. tails.

Some of the most intricate, elaborate and, sometimes, outrageous are on display at the annual Bourbon Street awards at the intersection of Bourbon and St. Ann, where prize categories include best drag and best leather.