New Orleans – Giving up was never in the DNA of New Orleans, so the cancellation of Mardi Gras parades as the pandemic did not kill an old tradition, it started a new one: Yardi Gras.
It is a parade where the spectator is the only one in movement and the houses are dotted with decoration. “Whenever he gets older, I want to look back and show him how Mardi Gras was quarantined,” said Alyssa Hicks, a mother.
Yardi Gras started out as a social media joke. Megan Boudreaux tweeted that, without parades, she would turn her house into a float. Now, about 3,000 homes in New Orleans are part of a parade on the still porch.
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“I am definitely impressed by how exaggerated the response has been,” said Boudreaux.
On First Street, it’s like shark week – they got their teeth in it. In the same block, the neighbors pay homage to a local favorite, the beignet Cafe Du Monde.
“New Orleans is going to have fun, no matter what,” said one resident.
To help the community, some landlords hired unemployed artists or rented props from struggling floating companies. Some residents hope that decorated houses will become a tradition.
From the wild to the extravagant, the stationary parade brought the neighbors together, turning Mardi Gras into a literal house party and finding a way to let the good times pass.
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