Basically Mardi Gras is something everyone should try once, or twice...it gets repetitive after that. But after going to Tulane for...damn this is my 4th year now...I'll tell you this: get a room with a balcony, bring your own alcohol and beads (it gets sooo expensive) and make sure they're nice beads. Have a bathroom, with toilet paper, available to you--trust me! Hit all the big parades, including Zulu, which is the African-American parade. They throw out coconuts . If it's your first time come the weekend before fat tuesday--if you're returning, come the weekend before that, where the parades are good but it's not as crowded. Also, try to score tickets to a ball, those are the most fun. Lemme know if you have any more ?'s, or need the names of bars to hit or anything like that. ------------------ =)