How To Throw A Mardi Gras Themed Party

"Mardi Gras was started by the French, but popularized by Americans."

Can’t make it to New Orleans for Mardi Gras this year? No problem. Throw a Mardi Gras themed party right here in your home! Gather your friends and get ready to celebrate a fun and exciting holiday filled with elaborate colors and spicy dishes. Mardi Gras is celebrated all over the world on Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. This holiday is celebrated with parades, masquerades, delicious food and lots of drinks. It has been celebrated since the early 1700's when the French settled in New Orleans.

Bright and bold decorations are key to any successful Mardi Gras party. The official colors of Mardi Gras are purple, green and gold. The symbolism to these colors are purple for justice, green for faith and gold for power. Don’t forget to incorporate them into your décor! Decorate your home with streamers, balloons and confetti to make your guests feel as if they are in New Orleans celebrating! Mardi Gras is a time to use lots of sparkling accents and bold decorations.

Use your dining room as the more formal seating for your Mardi Gras party. Use an elaborate table cloth to cover your table and make an exciting centerpiece. Use beads, bright colored confetti and flowers for the centerpiece.

Use your living room as an area that friends can go to gather and socialize in a more informal setting. Allow your guests to catch up and mingle as you tend to your party. If you need accents to add color to your living room, check out your local furniture store for brightly colored accessories. Vases, picture frames and lamps are great pieces that you can use to brighten up your home.

For more excitement, hand out masquerade masks. If your guests don’t bring their own to the party, buy a large package from the party store to hand out. If you really want to get everyone in the Mardi Gras spirit, have a costume contest. For Mardi Gras, jesters, pirates and gypsies are popular costumes. Allow your guest to vote on which costume they like best and give the winner a gift card to a local restaurant or coffee shop. Feather boas are also very popular at Mardi Gras parties!

Download some new music that has a Mardi Gras vibe and play it throughout your party. Jazz and the Blues are very popular and will set the tone for your party.

Cook up a few Southern style recipes such as gumbo, crab cakes and jambalaya. Make sure your bar is fully stocked and that you have Southern drinks on hand such as the ingredients to make a Hurricane!

Mardi Gras is all about the big and bold colors and accessories. If you have that part down, your party will definitely be a big hit!

Have you had your own Mardi Gras party? What suggestions would you give to our readers who are looking to host their first Mardi Gras themed party?