Host a Mardi Gras Party!

Your Guide to Hosting a Fabulous Mardi Gras Party!

Cold winter weather shouldn’t hold us back from warm celebrations!  Consider hosting a Mardi Gras party!  The celebration of Mardi Gras dates back to 1699 and is attributed to Louisiana’s French heritage.  The name literally means “Fat Tuesday” and takes place on a date between February 3rd and March 9th, which is 47 days before Easter Sunday.  This year Mardi Gras occurs on Tuesday, March 8.

The idea is to eat, drink and party before the deprivations of Lent.  The colors of Mardi Gras are dark purple for justice, green for faith, and gold for power.  With all of this great information, it’s time for the party!  (If a wild and crazy Mardi Gras party isn’t what you’re interested in, check the end of this article for a calmer approach to the holiday!!)

Invitations

• Mardi Gras Dance Invitation – Take a look at Fine Stationery’s unique Mardi Gras invitation featuring a wrought iron balcony with shuttered doors hung with masks!  The envelope is also decorated! (Finestationery.com, Mardi Gras Dance Invitation, pictured at top)
• Mardi Beads Party Invitation – Announcing It offers a fun 5″ x 7″ card with a border composed of multiple strands of Mardi Gras beads, and another card with a Mardi Gras mirror.  Print these on your home computer! (Announcingit.com , Mardi Beads Party Invitation ,pictured right)
• DIY – Simple note cards in the requisite colors with a hand written invitation.  For extra fun, slip the card into a cellophane bag and add a few strands of Mardi Gras beads!

Decorations

Decorating for this party is a breeze because the color scheme is already decided!  Consider the following ideas:

• Balloons – Lots of metallic Mylar balloons
• Mardi Gras Beads – Clear containers of all shapes and sizes filled with Mardi Gras Bead Necklaces from Oriental Trading. You’ll want to use the beads for decorations and have lots at the front door for guests to put on as they arrive.
• Gold Lame – Gold lame draped across your buffet or dining table.
• Masks – Masks on sticks arranged in vases. (For an incredible array of masks featuring lights, sequins, feathers and more, go to mardigrasday.com.)

Music

Try New Orleans Brass Band music or Zydeco, especially Mardi Gras Mambo by Buckwheat Zydeco!  Jazz is definitely the choice of the evening!

Menu

This menu is also traditional!

• Hurricanes to drink
• Seafood Gumbo
• Red beans and rice
• Jambalaya
• Crab cakes
• New Orleans pralines
• King Cake – This is the traditional ring-shaped cake with a little plastic baby baked inside.  The guest who gets the piece of cake with the baby inside agrees to host next year’s party!  Order your cake right now from haydelbakery.com!

Favors

• Chocolate coins - Fill cellophane bags with chocolate coins and trim with yellow, purple and green ribbons! (Chocolate Coins, 5lb. bag, $56.45)
• Hurricane Drink Mix – Allow guests to bring a bit of celebration home with a decoratively packaged drink mix trimmed with a small wire whisk! (Hurricane Drink Mix, $8.36)
• Custom Wrappers – Another fun idea is to wrap full sized candy bars with custom Mardi Gras wrappers!  These wrappers from Party Supplies Hut feature colorful beads and masks, a spot to add a personal message and a note on the back that reads “Bourbon Street was never this much fun!  Thanks for letting the good times roll with us.”
• Call it a day with the beads and the masks you’ve already provided or buy an extra King cake and send guests home with a piece of cake wrapped in a cellophane bag.

A Mardi Gras Brunch

If you prefer a quieter celebration, consider hosting a Mardi Gras Jazz Brunch.  Follow the ideas above for decor, invitations and favors, but consider this menu:

• Cafe Au Lait
• Beignets Eggs
• Sardou
• Shrimp Etouffee
• Bananas Foster
• King Cake!

Guests will love this opportunity for mid-winter revelry!  Cheers to a fabulous Mardi Gras Party!

You may also enjoy:

• Final Party Checklist
• Adding Special Touches to Your Party
• Perfect Party Quantities
• Host a Fabulous Valentine’s Cocktail Party

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