As holidays go, Mardi Gras is vastly underrated. The literal translation from the French phrase “Mardi Gras” is “Fat Tuesday.” This is, quite literally, a holiday dedicated to eating food.
New Orleans natives celebrate Mardi Gras with very unique traditions, which have become well-known across the world. The celebrations on Bourbon Street throughout the month of January leading up to Mardi Gras—the date of which changes year to year—make for some of the largest parties in the world.
To echo these legendary celebrations, make sure you have all of these elements for your own Fat Tuesday party.
1. Beads
You probably can’t have entire parades with elaborate floats for your Mardi Gras party, but you can certainly have beads. In the streets of New Orleans, paraders throw beads to the crowd. Many spectators bring an extra bag for their bead collection, as they accumulate so many plastic strands.
Your party doesn’t need thousands of plastic bead necklaces, but the more you can give away the more fun it will be for guests. Adorn your guests when they arrive for the party, or give out necklaces as prizes for any party games and competitions.
2. Masks
Not much is sexier or more thrilling than having your guests don masquerade masks for the party. Provide dollar-store-level plastic masks or have guests bring their own.
While many superhero movies may provide evidence to the contrary, you will still be able to tell who most people are behind their masks. It’s still fun to dress up, and most people will have more confidence when masked, leading to a party that is ten times as much fun for you and your guests.
3. King Cake
A lesser-known tradition, the King Cake is one of the most delicious Mardi Gras party necessities. A dough or roll or actual cake, the dessert can be prepared in many different ways. Glaze and sugar on top make the treat look delicious, but what truly counts is on the inside.
A small baby figurine, the size of a kidney bean, is baked into the cake. Tradition says whoever gets the slice of cake with the baby will host the next party.
If people at your party are drinking, it may not be the best idea to bake a choking hazard into your dessert. This does not mean you should forgo the king cake altogether though. A Fat Tuesday party is still the perfect excuse to bake—and eat—cake.
4. Alcohol
Most parties have alcohol anyway, but spice up the traditional jungle juice or white zinfandel with a Mardi Gras appropriate drink. Hurricanes are the most fitting drink for a Fat Tuesday celebration. A hurricane is kind of like jungle juice on steroids. It combines fruit juice with two kinds of rum. Make sure you serve it to guests in a traditional hurricane glass. Or a red solo cup. Whichever works.
5. Green, Purple and Gold
The quickest way for guests to know they are at a Mardi Gras party, even without masks or beads or alcohol, is with an apt color scheme. Green, gold and purple signify to anyone that you’re celebrating Mardi Gras.
Surprisingly, the colors have nothing to do with the city of New Orleans, or even with France. They come from the Russian Grand Duke who visited the city in the late 1800s. All it took was one parade in 1892, and—over 100 years later—the colors have stuck.
Incorporate the colors into your beads, solo cups and décor. Streamers and confetti are great for Mardi Gras. Feather boas and other costume pieces also stand out. Anything to make the party fun and crazy, just like Bourbon Street on Fat Tuesday.