New Orleans – Carnival revelers streamed into the city Saturday – and Mardi Gras organizers hoped to throw such a fantastic party that visitors would vow to return to this tourist-dependent city again.
Tourism officials expect at least as many visitors as last year, 700,000, to come for the annual celebration. It’s the second time the event has been held since Hurricane Katrina struck on Aug. 29, 2005.
“It’s amazing. I’ve never been to anything better,” said Eric Johnson, 19, of Knoxville, Tenn. It was his first time visiting for the event, and he caught so many strands of beads that they covered his chest at least 2 inches deep.
Parades are planned each day, leading to Fat Tuesday. Some parade-goers began staking out prime spots to see the elaborate processionals.
Stately, oak-lined St. Charles Avenue had a midway feel, partly lined with vendors selling cotton candy and food.
The median was lined with ladders, many topped with cushioned seats for children. Barbecue smoke from grills filled the air, and music blared from boom boxes.
Kelly Phillips, 45, of New Orleans said he arrived at 7 a.m. to set up his scaffolding with multilevel seats for several people. “You have to get up early to stake your place. It’s like the gold rush,” he said.
The Krewe of Endymion, one of Carnival’s best-known groups, rolled past on floats Saturday, and “American Idol” winner Taylor Hicks was on one of them.
New Orleans is slowly recovering from Katrina, the signs of which are still obvious in swaths of the city but largely unnoticeable to those who stay in the touristy French Quarter and central business district.
