In New Orleans, residents are turning their homes into Mardi Gras parade floats

A house decorated for Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Janet McConnaughey)

New Orleans residents have found a creative — and safe — way to celebrate Mardi Gras.

The traditional parades have been canceled this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, so people across the city are decorating the outsides of their homes just like they would floats. Some houses have themes, like Alice in Wonderland or Dr. Seuss, and others enhance the atmosphere by setting up bubble machines on their porches. They aren't all doing it by themselves, though — many are hiring artists who otherwise wouldn't be working due to the festivities being called off.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.