7 Rookie Mardi Gras Mistakes Louisiana Locals Spot Instantly

(KPEL-FM) - There's a lot to take in regarding Mardi Gras, and for first time attendees it can be a bit overwhelming. The sights, sounds, crowds all can be a bit much to take in and if you've been around Mardi Gras events enough, you'll see the rookie signs. We've all had our first Mardi Gras experience at one point in our lives in Louisiana and it may be hard to remember what it was like in great detail.

Mardi Gras Experiences Change As You Age

There's no official Mardi Gras manual for attending events, but everyone has suggestions based on their experience. There are also varying levels of 'first time' Mardi Gras experiences. There's the experience of being a child and going with your family. Then there's the first time you went with your friends and maybe got a little bit out of control. At some point you may have the unique vision of Mardi Gras as a parent of young children with its own set of rules and recommendations.

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Having lived in Louisiana my entire life, I've had the opportunity to experience all these levels of Mardi Gras. Going to a night Endymion parade in New Orleans as a child was a exciting (and sometimes scary) experience. After moving to Lafayette, spending all day on the parade route, eventually walking down Johnson from South College to the Strip (which is something I could never do today) was memorable. After marriage and children, an entire new world of Mardi Gras opened up - not only from watching the parades from their eyes and enjoying the Mardi Gras Festival at Cajun Field, but also all the preparations required that I never had to deal with before. During COVID we even experienced our first neighborhood Mardi Gras parade.

Read More: The 10 Commandments of Mardi Gras

How to Spot a Rookie at Mardi Gras

After over half a century of Mardi Gras exposure across all levels, I certainly can relate to some rookie mistakes people can make when attending Mardi Gras for the first time. Here are seven ways to spot a Mardi Gras newbie.