This is our comprehensive “packing” list of what we bring out for enjoying parades with our family, friends, and neighbors.
We just finished Carnival season (broadly referred to as “Mardi Gras” even though that is technically just the one Tuesday right before Ash Wednesday) here in New Orleans. all of these items are needed, but I find it easier to work off of a more comprehensive list. We tried to think of absolutely everything that we EVER use so we won’t forget anything, even if we choose not to bring it. So, whether you are a local looking to create your own list or a tourist from out-of-town who may just head out with only a backpack, there should still be some helpful things on here that you may not have thought of or remembered otherwise.
For context of our suggestions, we watch parades on the neutral ground (the grassy part in the center of the street where the streetcar tracks are) of St. Charles Avenue for the Uptown parades. Many of these suggestions will be just as valid for any parade route and watching from either side, but I figured it could be helpful to know what space we are working with.
- Wagon – helps you carry and organize all the things below (or your kids if they still fit in there) while you walk from your home, hotel, or parking spot.
2. Net attachment(s) for your wagon – We recently added a net that I found to help hold your stuff in if you have a particularly overloaded wagon (like we do). This is great for keeping things from rolling out when maneuvering curbs and other bumps or obstacles. We also have a side net that can hold things organized in their own area where they are easy to see and get to. We use this for sweatshirts and rainjackets and soft things like that usually.
- Festival / Camping chairs
- Backpack – If you aren’t using a wagon, this will be helpful for your basic essentials. Even with a wagon, we still bring ours down to easily locate smaller essentials, and to put any special throws that we definitely want to make sure we don’t lose.
- Sunscreen / Sunglasses / Hats – Even when it’s overcast, you can still get a sunburn and it happens often! A sunburn will certainly dampen your fun for the following few days of parades and celebrating.
6. Water / Drinks – Obviously, certain drinks (alcoholic) are common while enjoying Mardi Gras, but don’t forget to pack some water too. You’ll want to ensure you stay hydrated (and have something non-alcoholic for the kids if nothing else.) Dehydration is another common way that people will end up ruining the rest of their otherwise fun experience. We have collapsible water bottles we use for travel that can also work well here as. Though they may be heavy at the beginning when full, they at least get lighter and take up less space as you use them.
- Snacks – If you don’t want to carry your own snacks, or to supplement them, there are street vendors at the major intersections along the route, as well as a number of grocery and drug stores on or near the route with basic staples too. That said, we prefer to bring our own variety of different foods that are easy to carry. As you pick your snacks, think of things that may not need utensils or plates, are less likely to spill everything out if they fall over, and that address any nutritional needs or goals you may want to consider. We do many individual serving sizes and stick to things like granola & protein bars, nuts, carrot sticks, pretzels, popcorn, etc. Also, if you haven’t been to parades before, many parades will toss candy or moon pies and other snacks, especially to kids. This may be a helpful supplement to what you bring, or a nuisance if you want more control over how much sugar your kids can ingest in a single day (as Mardi Gras will definitely test this limit!)
- Hand sanitizer (or cleansing wipes) – You, and especially your kids, are going to get DIRTY. Being outside all day, catching beads and other throws, climbing up ladders, etc. It’s not quite as great as washing your hands, but you are definitely going to want to clean off as much as you can before eating anything!
- Paper Towels – as napkins, as a “plate” to hold your king cake, or for wiping things down, we always find we use these a lot when we remember to bring them.
- Reusable/collapsible bags – Especially if you have kids with you, you are going to catch a lot of stuff. If you (or more likely, your kids) want to keep any of that stuff you are going to want something to help carry it all home. You can often catch bead bags from riders as they clear them from the float, and those are perfect but nothing you can count on getting for sure.
FOR RECYCLING THROWS – Though we still have a long way to go, New Orleans and the krewes are definitely trying to find more ways to make Mardi Gras a bit greener, either through recycling programs or throwing more reusable and useful items beyond just beads. So, if you have extra stuff or just don’t want much/anything, there are more and more options popping up of places for you to drop off your beads and throws to be recycled and kept out of the landfills and our sewars. LOCALS; please let me know places to add to this list, but these are some of the places that I know collect throws for recycling:
- ARC (https://arcgno.org/)
- Christ Church Cathedral on St. Charles (https://cccnola.org/)
- Whole Foods (the one on Magazine Street, at least, has a collection box)
- Some schools do collections after Mardi Gras too, so you may want to ask your kids’ schools or friends and neighbors.
- Just today I noticed the “Skeleton House” (of Halloween fame,) at the corner of St. Charles and State St, has bins out on their front lawn for collecting beads.
*TIP – If you are an out-of-towner reading this and preparing for your visit, think about if you are going to want to bring a bunch of beads and throws home as souvenirs or to share with friends. If you can pack a sturdier collapsible bag, you may want have that to carry some of this on but be mindful of size. Bags filled with beads get heavy VERY quickly. A full backpack size is going to be about as heavy as you are going to want to carry through an airport. Also, shipping adds up VERY quickly with the weight of beads, as would extra fees for additional or excessively heavy luggage if you are flying.
11. Hooks – These aren’t necessarily crucial but have earned their spot as a staple in our Mardi Gras wagon. My kids (and their friends) use the hooks to hold their bead bags on their ladders with them. For what it’s worth, we even travel with these particular hooks. They are SO useful for creating extra storage space, hanging a bag, drying wet towels and clothes, and so much more. We use them all around our home for things as well!
- Garbage bags – While there are lots of garbage cans around, it’s most convenient to have something right by you (particularly for your kids.)
13. Collapsible garbage can – We finally got one of these since we often have a number of friends with us, including many kids, and this can is collapsible so it’s easy and light to carry and doesn’t take up much space to store. We find it incredibly helpful.
14. Dry erase board and markers – This is one of our most brilliant ideas from the past few years (pats self on shoulder). We used to make posters for friends we knew who were riding but it became overwhelming, especially when there were alot in the same parade. We’ve found dry-erase boards super easy to use writing down the names of riders to say hi to, and then quickly erasing it and writing another name, or for asking for a specific specialty throw!
- Mardi Gras Guide – This $5 essential is something you can find at any drugstore and most grocery stores as soon as Carnival Season starts with 12th Night (January 6th,) and they are well worth it. These are great for reading about each parade, looking at routes and start times, and finding out what specialty throws each parade is throwing for that current year. There is also usually a ton of other interesting Mardi Gras- related stories and histories. If you are visiting from out of town, this makes a great and affordable keepsake that isn’t nearly as heavy as a bunch of beas.
- Ladders – either the tall ones with a seat fastened to the top to contain little ones and/or step ladders. We prefer step ladders which can be used by kids and adults and are easier to move around and for the kids to independently climb up and down. * Note – while not consistently enforced, the law (for safety above all else) is for the ladder to be as far back from the street as it is tall.
17. A pop-up canopy tent – Okay, these are now getting overused and taking over Mardi Gras so we don’t like to use ours too much, but if it is particularly rainy or sunny, we do find it helpful to have one. We recently upgraded ours and the new one has much better button covers to release those little metal buttons on the legs which used to always pinch my fingers. Also, the cover of our new one is lined, so it is now actually much more helpful when raining, other than the simple canvas cover we used to have which would start leaking with any rain that’s more than a drizzle. (While not always policed consistently, “walls” are not allowed on these tents as you aren’t allowed to block off public space as your own. Think more tailgating set-ups than office cubicles!)
18. Shade covers for chairs – These are great for particularly sunny days. We use them at Mardi Gras but these are also super helpful at the beach, soccer games, and Jazz Fest!
- Portable tables – The size and weight of these may vary based on your needs but we use any and sometimes all of the below:
- More sturdy portable table
- Camping table
- Small pop-up stool/table
- Spare battery – whether you need a Jackery for running bigger items like a portable cooktop or crockpot, or you just need to keep your phones charged, I definitely recommend at least a small portable battery. I love my latest travel gadget as it includes the cord and 3 different plugs to charge almost any phone or accessory someone might have (remember, iPhones are starting to change from the lightening connectors to USB-C with newer models.)
- Cooler(s) – size and features vary for your needs
- Bottle opener
- At least a few basic utensils – a dull knife for cutting king cake if nothing else!
24. Raincoats or ponchos (I wouldn’t bother with an umbrella as you won’t want to mess with that in the crowd, and if you get a truly rainy day, and umbrella isn’t going to save you from getting soaked anyway.) We like packable raincoats as we bring them hiking and traveling with us. We’ve been using the Mountain Warehouse brand for at least 10+ years and like their durability and that they have Men’s, Women’s, and Kids sizes and use different colors so it’s easy for each of us to grab the one we know is ours, by color.
*TIP – This year I came up with something new to try since I don’t have rainboots. I tied small plastic bags over my feet before putting on my shoes. My shoes still got soaked but my feet actually stayed warm and dry.
- Comfy, closed-toe shoes – You will be on your feet a lot so you want to stay comfortable but also have your feet protected from getting stepped on, as well as general dirt and grime that comes with crowds.
- Clothing LAYERS – Even if it’s predicted to be 60, that can feel 20 degrees hotter or colder in New Orleans based on how sunny, windy, and humid it is. It can also change drastically within the course of just a few hours.
- A fanny pack or something else to keep your valuables close on your body. I mostly just use my pockets, but phones are quick targets that are easy for someone to grab and run off with. I unfortunately heard a number of stories of this happening, though those were all down in the French Quarter.
- Parade Tracker app – so that you can see how far the next parade is so you can generally know when to expect it. (Start times are when the parade starts but the routes are miles long and the parades move slowly, so it’s harder to know when they’ll get ot you unless you are watching their progress.) We’ve always used and been happy with the WDSU one, though it looks like WWL has one now too. (If you see the FOX one, pay attention as that’s not FOX8 in New Orleans, but FOX10 in Mobile)
- Wrist bands or bracelets for your kids to wear with important phone numbers or other info in case they get separated from you. They can go to any nearby police officer who can call you and help you reconnect.
- What else? We love seeing what other people have grown accustomed to using so please let us know in the comments and we can keep adding to this list!
This list could certainly go on and on depending on how seriously you get into this, but we find it pretty comprehensive of our personal favorites. These help enhance our experience so we can create great memories with our family, friends, and neighbors, both old and new. Enjoy and Laissez le bon temps rouler!
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