
One year after the coronavirus pandemic forced a parade-free, quiet Mardi Gras in New Orleans, city officials Monday touted preparations in place for a return to the big parades and festivities expected over the next two weeks ahead of Fat Tuesday.
Parades were canceled last year out of fear the festivities could become a super spreader event like the 2020 Mardi Gras season, which is widely considered to have contributed to New Orleans becoming an early pandemic hot spot. But this year, parades and balls associated with the Mardi Gras season that started Jan. 6 are going ahead. The next two weekends are considered the height of the season that ends March 1 on Fat Tuesday.