Yardi Gras 2021

The traditional Mardi Gras was obviously canceled this year. No parties, no parades, nada where large gatherings were concerned. Instead, they decided to throw Yardi Gras. In lieu of parade floats, the good people of NOLA were invited to decorate their yards like you would see on the parade floats, yet people could visit them at their leisure. This way, visitors could still get a feel for Mardi Gras while maintaining safe social distancing practices. And I'll tell you, the residents of NOLA did not disappoint in their creativity. I'm going to show you some of my favorites, and there were A LOT, so this is going to be a PHOTO HEAVY post. If you aren't into pics, that's your fair warning to move along. For those of you that are, I hope you enjoy seeing the party through my lens. 

We'll start with the smaller homes. And smaller does not mean not as good, because I absolutely loved the creativity that went into a lot of the displays.This modern take on a Hansel and Gretel house was quite charming. I loved how they used paper lanterns and pool noodles to create a whimsical Candyland vibe.

This house didn't have a lot of yard to work with, but they maximized every inch to its fullest potential.

Coronavirus was the theme for many of the displays. This take on Margaritaville was quite clever! 

There were a few other Covid themed that were clever as well:

 This street all banded together and did a Lego theme on each of their houses:

My favorite: The Chanel House! I kinda want to live here year round LOL!

These people here had a fun display and were the only ones passing out beads. We each took a necklace from the post and I think it made the homeowners day because he gave us a big wave from his window. It made our day, too! :)

And, it was where we first learned about King Cake, which is a huge thing at Mardi Gras. Sadly, we weren't able to find a single slice, which was my only disappointment on this trip.

And thrown into the mix for the hell of it, a funky little car to boot. 

We were going to head back to our hotel after an exhausting day of walking all of NOLA checking out the decorated houses, but on the way back I read that there was a Schitt's Creek house and made Kyle detour so I could check it out. 

I loved how the spirit of Mardi Gras touched all walks of life. You didn't need to have a fancy setup to get in the spirit. This broke house float got  a good belly laugh from me, plus they featured the Christmas Story Leg Lamp, so bonus points to them!

As fun as those little houses were, if you wanted shock and awe, the Garden District was where the party was at!

The place (could have been a music school?) was HUGE as were their floats, so I couldn't get it all in one shot.

Unicorns...

And more unicorns...

Down at the bayou. We actually stumbled upon this one after dark and put a pin on maps to come back during the day to see it again.

Sticking to The Garden District..

And now for the cream of the crop. Big money designs to blow visitors away. Totally worth the wait...

A circus. These people had a huge circus setup. This one was my favorite in the Garden District:

And the star of Yardi Gras... freakin' dinosaurs!

And if you've made it this far, a couple of night shots, because why not?

Which Yardi Gras house was your favorite?