Beauregard, a chihuahua, waits with his owner, Pat Day, at the start of the Mardi Gras Dog Parade at Baytowne Village in Sandestin, Fla. Beauregard was dressed in surfer garb to reflect the theme of this year’s parade, “Fetch a Wave.” The annual event in this Florida panhandle resort community attracted a wide variety of sharply dressed canines and their owners and was a fundraiser for a local animal refuge.By STACEY PLAISANCE
NEW ORLEANS – As Carnival builds toward its out-of-control crescendo of Fat Tuesday, Barry Kern and his team of float-builders and artists are already preparing for next year’s parades.
One of the biggest free parties in the world fuels a multimillion-dollar industry for the city of New Orleans and the lifeblood of businesses like Kern’s studio, which has been operating for more than 50 years and makes or repurposes some 400 floats a year, or roughly a float a day, Kern said.
The Mardi Gras season, which includes weeks of parades, fancy balls and parties leading up to the big day, draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to New Orleans each year, said Kelly Schulz, spokeswoman for the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau. Schulz said a recent study conducted by Tulane University estimated the direct economic impact of Mardi Gras at roughly $144 million.
Some studies estimate the economic impact at more than $500 million, said Arthur Hardy, a Mardi Gras historian.