At the stroke of midnight, Louisiana’s official Mardi Gras party ended. Police on foot and horseback on Wednesday ushered in the Christian season of Lent by clearing Bourbon Street and closing the 2011 Carnival season, which has been among the most raucous since Hurricane Katrina, partly because it overlapped with college spring break. Tony Anello, 57, who operated a daiquiri stand on Bourbon Street, estimates business was up by at least 10% over last year despite gloomy skies, scattered rain and threats of severe weather. Sally Dellasperanza, 58, of New York, arrived Thursday with friends for her 10th straight Mardi Gras. She says the crowds also seemed larger than other post-Katrina celebrations.
Clarinetist Pete Fountain kicked off Tuesday’s parades shortly after dawn with his marching group. The Krewe of Zulu and the parade of Rex, King of Carnival, followed. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu led Zulu on horseback before dismounting at Gallier Hall for champagne toasts with Mardi Gras royalty. By afternoon, the party had largely shifted from the family-friendly neighborhoods where the parades start to the packed streets of the French Quarter.
