A costumed reveler attends the 2022 Krewe of Freret parade on February 19, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. 2021 Mardi Gras parades were cancelled in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. (Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images)Mardi Gras couldn’t have come at a better time during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as cases and hospitalizations drop and states ease restrictions.
Revelers decked out in traditional purple, green and gold came out to party on Fat Tuesday in New Orleans’ first full-dress Mardi Gras since 2020.
The fun included back-to-back parades across the city and marches through the French Quarter and beyond, with masks required only in indoor public spaces.The return of Carnival season has been a much-needed boost for business in New Orleans, where the famed restaurants and music venues were restricted or closed for months.
The crowd on Sunday, when the huge Krewe of Bacchus paraded, "was a record for us in the 10 years we’ve been open," said Thomas Houston, bar manager at Superior Seafood and Oyster Bar, located at the start of the truncated parade route.RELATED: Mardi Gras celebration kicks off in Galveston for first time since COVID-19 pandemic hitMobile, Alabama, which calls itself the birthplace of Mardi Gras, also missed throwing a full-blown Carnival last year because of COVID-19, and some restaurant managers say they are still having a hard time filling jobs, leading to the odd sight of empty tables while people line up out the door in places.