New Orleans kicked off its annual Carnival season Friday, a weekslong celebration of joyous street parties, lavish balls and colorful parades — complicated this year by concerns over crime and a depleted police force that last year forced a shortening of Mardi Gras parade routes.
City officials marked the pre-Lenten season's start by dancing their way into an event amid brass band music, costumed revelers and giant figurines of jesters and fantasy characters at Mardi Gras World by the Mississippi River. The cavernous venue is where many parade floats are assembled and stored.
