Chapter Three: Mardi Gras World

• Posted on KK
• in 100 things, travel
• on July 7, 2012
• 1 Comment.

So, after JazzFest was over, we had a couple of extra days to wander around New Orleans and one day we decided to visit the supremely touristy experience that is Mardi Gras World. It’s basically a tour run by the company that is responsible for creating the floats for 45 of the 50+ Mardi Gras parades. You get to watch a little video on Mardi Gras, get a piece of king cake and then go on a walking wander through one of their warehouses where they store floats and their artists do all their work. We were there in May, so several of the floats from the most recent Mardi Gras hadn’t been touched yet so they were still a little torn up and had beads hanging all over them. But, they also start creating pieces for the following year pretty much as soon as Mardi Gras ends, so we were able to see some floats in various processes of being created.

Their primary method of creating parade pieces (props) is to draw them out, working within whatever the theme of the particular parade is (which the Krewes decide beforehand). Then the props are carved out multiple layers of styrofoam, covered in paper mache, and then painted. Some props are also created out of fiberglass, but these are obviously much heavier and much more expensive to make. Many props are also reused year after year (the  well-known mascots of several of the krewes) but the mardi gras artists are often able to take a prop and turn it into something else, using the same basic skeleton underneath.

A kiwi at the beginning of creation. A brand new prop being cut out of styrofoam.

Creepy sea monster thing which is being transformed into something else. It had been damaged, so they are patching it (the brown patches) and the hair (?) is new. It will be painted and look completely different.

Props at various points of awesomeness. 

Ready for paint. This was one of my favorites.

Beads still hanging from this year’s parade. Loved it.

 This float is a featured piece every year in the Bacchus parade. You can see the alligator behind it, which is a regular feature in the Orpheus parade. 

One of the props for the Zulu parade. 

 Indiana Jones and I. 

There was a lot to see.  This is just one of their warehouses. The props cycle in and out of this warehouse as they are worked on.

 Dan outside with some of the fiberglass props. 

In addition to making larger props for the fronts of floats, and props that ‘roll’ sort of alone on a float, the artists are also responsible for the overall look of a float – most of which people will be riding on to throw beads and other ‘tosses.’ You can see here that while the panda is done, the rest of the float is still in progress.

Hopefully the float in the previous picture will look something like this eventually (with a different theme, obvs.)

This company also makes pieces for other companies – one of their clients is Chik-Fil-A, who they make their ubiquitous fiberglass cows for. Several were wrapped up and ready to be shipped out.

This was fun times. Made me want to go back for Mardi Gras.