How New Orleans Families Prepare Their Homes for Mardi Gras Guests

In New Orleans, getting ready for Mardi Gras guests usually starts before the first parade rolls through. Most families aren’t trying to make the house look perfect. They just want it to feel clean, comfortable, and manageable once guests, friends, and family members start arriving for parade season.

Before guests start arriving, many families around New Orleans usually start by getting the main gathering spaces and guest areas of the house ready instead of trying to organize the entire home at once.

That’s usually areas like:
-Living room
-Kitchen
-Guest bathroom
-Guest bedroom
-Entryway

Usually, that means making a little extra space, getting common areas straightened up, and making things feel a little more manageable once family, friends, and guests start arriving for Mardi Gras week. Before long, homes around New Orleans start filling up with overnight bags, beads, folding chairs, and parade souvenirs everywhere.

The guest bathroom also usually gets a little extra attention before everyone arrives for Mardi Gras weekend, especially when out-of-town family and friends are staying over for several days.

Many guest bathrooms end up stocked with things like:
-Travel toiletries
-Extra toothbrushes
-Makeup wipes
-Towels and washcloths
-Basic medicine like Advil
-Hair ties
-Extra toilet paper

Small bathroom touches like this save guests from having to ask where everything is later on. It’s also one of those little details people usually remember and appreciate.

Many families around New Orleans also like putting together small welcome baskets in the guest bedroom during Mardi Gras season. Usually, it’s just a mix of fun and practical things for guests staying over during parade week.
Some baskets include things guests can bring with them to parades, along with a few things waiting for them when they get back home later that night.
Many of those baskets end up including things like:

-Bottled water
-Snacks or microwave popcorn
-Coffee or tea
-Local beer or mini wine bottles
-Mardi Gras beads
-Sunglasses
-A koozie
-A fanny pack or small crossbody bag
-A reusable bag for catching throws

If the guest room has a mini fridge, microwave, or coffee maker, families will sometimes stock those too, but it’s definitely not necessary!

One thing many New Orleans families notice during Mardi Gras is how often they and their guests are coming in and out of the house between parades, dinners, costume changes, and late nights around the city.
During Mardi Gras week, many families naturally end up using part of the entryway as a place for beads, jackets, bags, shoes, and parade stuff to pile up between parades.

Usually there’s:
-A basket or bin for beads and throws
-A place for shoes
-Hooks for jackets or bags
-A tray for keys and wallets
-Towels or wipes near the door if the weather gets messy
-Some families also leave out things people may need on the way back out the door again, like sunscreen, portable chargers, koozies, hand wipes, or reusable parade bags.
-Since people are usually heading out to different parades throughout the week, having one area near the front door for everything tends to make the house feel a little less hectic.