Mardi Gras means big bucks for the Big Easy. According to a report from WalletHub, the carnival season has an economic impact of $465 million for the Crescent City, and analyst Jill Gonzales says it’s growing every year.
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Gonzales says 1.4 million people visit New Orleans during the Carnival season.
Mardi Gras celebrations are getting underway, including the Krewe of Frank parade in Opelousas. The parade was almost cancel because of cuts to the police department, but a local businessman stepped up to save the day. Bob Giles covered the cost of the police security detail for the parade.
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Giles previously donated 55 bulletproof vests to the Opelousas Police Department.
Not every Louisiana town will celebrate Mardi Gras with huge Krewe parades. Brian Costello outlines the variety of festivities in his new book “Carnival in Louisiana.” He says instead of parades and floats, some Cajun communities will continue the tradition of Courier de Mardi Gras.
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Costello says the tradition dates back to the 18th century.
Another huge Fat Tuesday tradition is crawfish, and Dr. Greg Lutz with the LSU AgCeter says there’s no shortage of mudbugs as we enter the Lenten season. But he says with the nice weather, lots of people are looking for a sack, and prices depend on supply and demand.
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He recommends calling ahead to reserve your sack.