Outside, one of the most withering economic recessions in U. S. history grips the country. In New Orleans, it‘s Mardi Gras, an event unmoved by recessions, depressions or catastrophic floods. This year, only three of the 49 Mardi Gras parades in the greater New Orleans area have been canceled. The show goes on. “The worse the economy gets, the more successful Mardi Gras is,” says Staci Rosenberg, a real estate attorney. “People view it as such a critical part of their mental health, such an integral part of their tradition. They won‘t let it go easily.” Only war may stop us Only widespread disease or war has ever stopped the famed, citywide revelry. Since the parades began in 1857, New Orleans Mardi Gras has been entirely canceled only 13 times — including for a yellow fever epidemic, the Civil War and each world war — says Arthur Hardy, a Mardi Gras historian and guide publisher. The last full cancellation: 1945, the last year of World War II. Only one parade was canceled during the Great Depression, as residents drowned their worries in beads and booze, Hardy says. In 2006, with much of the city still in ruin from Hurricane Katrina, Mardi Gras rolled through the drier parts of the city. This year, sales of his guide to Mardi Gras sold out at 85,000 copies. Mardi Gras (“Fat Tuesday”) festivities culminated Tuesday. “If Mardi Gras could survive Katrina, what‘s a little economic downturn?” Hardy says. “It‘s genetically encoded into our DNA. It‘s who we are. An economic recession will never kill Mardi Gras.”
Putting on Mardi Gras is not cheap. The Krewe of Endymion, Mardi Gras‘ largest parade group, paraded with 2,400 riding members and 58 parade sections stretching 2.5 miles through the city‘s Mid-City neighborhood, says Dan Kelly, the Krewe‘s president. The parade ended in a black-tie gala inside the Superdome. Members spend between $600 and $1,000 each on beads and other “throws” they toss from their floats, plus dues that help pay the parade‘s more than $3 million price tag. Despite the high fees, no one backed out this year, Kelly says.
Revenue A high-geared Mardi Gras also translates into vital tourism revenue for the city, says Mary Beth Romig of the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau. The event draws more than 700,000 visitors to New Orleans and, in the past, has generated more than $1 billion for the city, she says. Tourism officials worried that the spiraling economy and widespread job losses would keep visitors away from Mardi Gras. But downtown hotels reported higher than 90% occupancy for the weekend, Romig says. “You have free concerts, free fireworks, free entertainment and free gifts,” Hardy says. “Where else in the United States can you go and do all that? The recession could actually be a boost for Mardi Gras.”
For locals, it‘s not much of a choice. A recent poll by City Business, a weekly New Orleans business newspaper, asked residents whether the economy was affecting how they celebrate Mardi Gras. Of those asked, 58% answered, “Money is no object during Mardi Gras,” 30% said they were attending fewer parades, and only 4% said they were not able to afford to ride in a float this year.
Galatoire‘s Restaurant in the French Quarter holds a popular traditional lunch each Friday before Mardi Gras — a hybrid of block party and fine dining. The event is so popular with locals that the eatery‘s owners auction off reservations to the 24 downstairs tables, the proceeds going to local charities, general manager Christopher Ycaza says. Last year, the auction brought in $58,000, he says. This year, the restaurant raised $77,000. “Mardi Gras is such a part of the community here,” Ycaza says. “The locals may cut back in other areas. But they‘ll save and, for this one day, blow it out.”
