Making Mardi Gras

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Alexandra Kennon

Just in time for the start of Carnival season comes The Historic New Orleans Collection's exhibition Making Mardi Gras, sponsored by Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World and Kern Studios. We're all familiar with the grandeur of the rolling parades and unbridled joy of second lines, and this exhibit takes viewers behind the scenes into the vibrant float dens, long sewing sessions, and high-intensity dance rehearsals that all go into bringing Mardi Gras to life. From elaborate costumes and royal finery, to festive specialty parade throws like Zulu's hand-designed coconuts, to float artists of centuries past, to roaming walking krewes, and even homebound house-float visionaries—all of the glitter, sweat, and heart that gets poured into Carnival year after year will be on display in THNOC's Tricentennial Wing. The displays are structured to emphasize the differences between formal and informal Mardi Gras traditions, while also highlighting how "the line between the ballroom and the street is often blurred". The exhibition center is open Tuesday–Saturday from 9:30 am–4:30 pm, and Sunday from 10:30 am–4:30 pm. Free. hnoc.org.

Another Carnival exhibit celebrating the Krewe of Rex's 150th anniversary will be up at the Williams Research Center simultaneously. Read more about that here.