How to Throw a DIY Mardi Gras Party

While Mardi Gras is not a prominent part of every part of the country, many people around the world like to celebrate this festive time before the beginning of the Christian Lenten season.

Mardi Gras is all about colorful decorations, fun and especially food. Its literal meaning is “Fat Tuesday,” which is a great excuse to make delicious treats to serve to your guests while you entertain them with the traditional green, purple and gold colorful decorations. If you are wanting to throw a great Mardi Gras party this year, see below for some great ideas.

Print colorful images from Mardi Gras celebrations for decor. If you want to give a true taste of the season for some who have never seen it, take out a few of your favorite vintage picture frames or gold picture frames and replace the photos with scenes from celebrations. You can include colorful floats, dancers from Carnivale in Brazil, or scenes of happy parade-goers reaching for their loots of beads and candy.

Serve a delicious king cake. King Cake can be found in most grocery stores or local bakeries this time of year, and it makes for the perfect party dessert. It serves quite a few people based on how large of a cake you get, and this colorful cake comes with a history. Whoever gets the prize buried within (usually a king cake baby) gets the honor of bringing the cake to the next gathering.

Make a photo booth with Mardi Gras masks. Masks are a large part of the celebrations in this festive event, and the best are wildly decorated with everything from glitter to feathers and beads. Make a few of your own with supplies from the craft store or make a station for your guests to decorate theirs however they want. Then set up space with a blank wall or sheet and your props for a DIY photobooth. Make a hashtag for the event so you can keep up with all the different photos you and your guests take.

Turn up the brass bands. Jazz and brass bands are synonymous with the celebrations of Mardi Gras. Many high school and college bands come out to support the season and march in the parades while tooting their horns and banging their drums as loudly as they can with pride. Recreate this energy at your party by making a playlist of famous southern brass bands, but be sure not to play it too loud or your guests may have trouble speaking over the music.