Happy Mardi Gras (and Superbowl) 2013!

Tomorrow night the first uptown parades will roll down St. Charles Avenue starting at 6pm!  Like everyone else, I enjoy the parades, the bands, the floats and the parties, but to those of us who live in the area, are visiting and have cars here, or are just trying to get around town, this means street closures and difficulty getting home from work, running errands and parking near our homes if we live anywhere near the route.  As a Realtor trying to show properties around town during Mardi Gras, I find that this can be quite a challenge!

Here is what I have learned in my experience.  I hope that it helps you get to where you need to be in good time and without stress so that you can enjoy the parades!  Lazziez les bon temps rouler!

1.      The guides, newspapers and websites say that most uptown parades start around Napoleon and Perrier.  While this may be true, it also means that Napoleon all the way to the river, and parts of Tchoupitoulas and the Rouses’ parking lot will be used for THE REST OF THE PARADE.  Float trucks will mostly come from Mardi Gras World on Tchoupitoulas at the I-10 (or the various dens on the Westbank) and line up from Rouses’ on back.  Band busses, dance teams, horses etc. Will use the Rouses’ parking lot for their staging area.

2.     Streets will be blocked off as early as one hour before parades also.  At St. Charles, this means you will not be able to cross the neutral ground.  Police with barricades will be standing there so even if you think that you can eke your car by the barricade, the police will surely stop you and possible ticket you if they are feeling surly.  On the river side of St. Charles, the side streets will have barricades blocking entrance one or two blocks from their intersection with St. Charles.

3.     Main thoroughfares like Prytania and Magazine will move slowly but more-so, the side streets will be very congested early as parade goers try to find excellent parking spots.  As a rule of thumb, congestion on the river side of St. Charles tends to start earlier and be more prevalent than the lake side.

4.     It is a good idea to check parade times and routes daily so that you can successfully avoid the line-up areas and circumvent street closures.  For example; if the parade starts at 6pm on Napoleon and (Rouses’), you will probably still be able to cross St. Charles at Louisiana to as far down as the Quarter until about 7pm.

5.     The I-10 is your Friend (mostly).  If you need to get from the Carrollton/Mid-City area to the Uptown/University area and the parade time is rapidly approaching, try the I-10.  You can get off at the St. Charles exit and work your way toward Prytania, Magazine or Tchoupitoulas which will carry you through.  Once the parades begin, if you wait about an hour, Tchoupitoulas will likely have cleared and you can sail on by.  (Unless of course there are a few parades set to roll one after another or in the event of a “super krewe”.)  In those cases, you will have to settle in somewhere and wait it all out.

6.     Lastly, go with the flow.  There is really no use in getting angry and frustrated as you try to maneuver during parade season.  Re-schedule your difficult-to-get-to appointments.  Decide to stop and watch the parade.  Enjoy the season and all it has to offer!

Here is the uptown parade schedule for 2013.  You are on your own for the rest!  Good Luck and Happy Mardi Gras!

Friday January 25: Oshun 6:00, Cleopatra (moved from Westbank)

Saturday January 26th: Pontchartrain 1:00, Choctaw (moved from Westbank)

Sparta 6:00, Pygmalion

Sunday January 27th: Carrollton 12:00, King Arthur

Wednesday February 6th: Druids 6:30, Nyx

Thursday February 7th: Babylon 5:45, Chaos, Muses

Friday February 8th: Hermes 6:00, Krewe D'état, Morpheus

Saturday February 9th: Iris 11:00, Tucks 12:00

Sunday February 10th: Okeanos 11:00, Mid-City, Thoth

Bacchus 5:15

Lundi Gras February 11th: Proteus 5:15, Orpheus

Mardi Gras February 12th: Zulu (at Jackson) 8:00, Rex, Elks Orleans, Crescent City