5 Mardi Gras Party Ideas

Mardi Gras, originally a French festival, is now celebrated throughout the world with much fanfare. The festivities extend beyond a single day and the carnival-like atmosphere and merry-making continues for weeks. It brightens up the dreary winter months with amazing theme parties, which include masquerade balls and processions, pageants and parades with unique Mardi Gras masks and opulent Mardi Gras costumes.

If you can't make it to New Orleans this year we've got 5 Mardi Gras Theme Party ideas that you can use this winter to celebrate Fat Tuesday with a fantastic party for your family and friends.

1. Mardi-Gras-Madness Party

Let this be an outrageously funny party that lives up to the spirit of spectacular fun and frolic that is associated with this occasion. Send out invites shaped like a mask. Include some unique costume ideas for your guests such as dressing up as a jazz musician, a fortune teller, a clown, or even a creature out of the swamps. Inform the partygoers that there will be prizes for sensational costumes. Hang a customized banner outside your door to set the mood for the party. Pick up exceptionally funny party decorations and party favors to go with the theme of your party.

2. Fancy Dress Theme Party

In this party, the emphasis has to be on festive costumes. As a first step, choose a costume theme for the party. It could be costumes of the famous Disney characters, fairy tale characters, or circus clowns, or even flamenco dancer costumes. Once the theme is decided, you should pick up the most spectacular costume that you can find for yourself as a host of the party. The costumes for the guests may also be supplied by you, and the guests can be asked to come with a mask.

3. Pancake Theme Party

One of the interesting ideas for a party for this occasion can be a Pancake party. You can have pancake making contest to see who can bake the most delicious pancake. There can also be a pancake eating contest to see who can eat the most or who can eat the fastest. You can also bake a Jumbo sized pancake to add to the fun of the party. Add some funky toppings for your pancakes to give it a New Orleans style flavor like some powdered sugar just like those famous beignets from Cafe Du Monde.

Here's a quick and easy pancake recipe you can try

You'll need the following: 2 eggs, 1 c. milk, 1 c. flour, Powdered sugar, Cast iron skillet and a 1/2 stick butter.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sarah cracks the eggs into a medium bowl and beats with a fork until just mixed. Add milk and slowly add flour. Stir stirring with fork. Batter should have lumps. Melt butter in skillet over low heat. Pour batter over butter and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Don't peek! Be careful removing since pan is very hot. Cut into four pieces and sift powdered sugar over top and serve.!

4. Community or Block Party

The old spirit of celebrating this festival can be relived with a party that involves everyone in the local community. Each person can contribute and participate in some of the activities. Decorate the place in carnival style with flags and festoons using Mardi Gras colors. Each guest can be asked to bring one vegetable to create a giant dish for the party.

5. "Mardi-Gras-Barbecue" Theme Party

Buy the best quality meat and arrange for some exotic drinks, and invite over your friends for a Backyard BBQ party to celebrate the occasion. It is bound to be a great evening with the winter chill and the warmth of the burning coals. However, for this party make sure that the barbecue grill is placed at a safe distance from wooden fence or a wooden door. Do not use gasoline but opt for a commercial BBQ fuel to light the fire. With all safety measures in place, this can be a great party to remember.