As most of you know by now, we attended three Mardi Gras parades. The first was a pet parade in Fairhope (Mystic Mutts), the second was in Mobile and the third again in Fairhope.
The second Fairhope parade was a women-only parade, hosted by
the Maids of Jubilee. Marc and I agreed that the women get all the points, by far. The theme of the men's parade was "The Faces of Mardi Gras." Their floats, decorated to celebrate various vocations, were well done but that was the extent of the flash. The marching bands were mediocre at best and the men way too gloomy for our taste. 
It was a different story entirely in Fairhope. The women were dressed to the nines, were energized and clearly enjoying themselves, which in turn fired up the crowds. The theme was "Party Like A Rock Star," and the floats were magnificent! There were women on horseback covered in rhinestones from head to toe, the marching bands (complete with dancers) were excellent, and there were even floats carrying live bands. Even on-duty police officers could be seen enjoying Moon Pies. It was fun from start to finish.
The fun part about Mardi Gras parades, by far, is the crowds, especially the people in your immediate vicinity. If you like to people-watch, this is the place to do it. There were small babies wearing more beads than I could carry and entire families enjoying dinner by the side of the road while waiting for the parade to start. Some revelers bring fish nets or pincers to pick up the throws. We chatted with some very nice people from Ohio at the Mobile parade, and met a chatty, quirky girl from Colorado at the Fairhope parade. We can see why these parades can be addictive. We enjoyed them tremendously!
A word of advice... If you ever attend a Mardi Gras parade, be sure to remember one simple rule: If a throw lands at your feet, immediately place your foot over the object, then pick it up. The locals have mastered this move and are very fast. So if you value your fingers, remember to use your feet!
(Note: As the floats are constantly on the move, the pictures are not as focused as we had hoped they would be.)
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