Actually, I’ve pondered this every year since I moved into my house. Here’s what I’d like to do, although I doubt the feasibility of it all:
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[li]Music: Cajun, zydeco, and Dixieland jazz. Although I doubt most of my friends would go for it, uncultured barbarians that they are. Maybe I’d throw in some more mainstream stuff from Lousiana (Kenny Wayne Shepherd comes to mind. Any other ideas are appreciated. Dr. John, maybe?). I could fudge a bit and throw in some Texas blues, which would be more popular with the crowd I hang with. If anyone turned the music to hip-hop/pop/rap, he or she would be thrown out on his or her ass.[/li][li]Food: Jambalaya (I know someone who can make this). Po-boys, maybe? A pot of crawdads would be good, although I’d want them delivered from Lousiana or Mississippi. You get too far from those places and the crawdads are like little bugs. I’m sure I can think of or look up some more Cajun dishes.[/li][li]Drinks: Hurricanes, outside on the patio. I can pick up some Pat O’Brien’s mix while in Georgia over Christmas. I wonder if Sun Devil Liquors has kegs of Dixie beer.[/li][li]BEADS!! Order some beads and throw them from my loft to the crowd of people in the living room below every hour or so. Perhaps some of my female friends would “show their tits.” How easy and expensive is it to acquire these things? (The beads, not the tits.)[/li][li]Decorations: Decorate the house in purple, yellow, and green. I could probably score some Mardi Gras-themed decor at the local party store.[/li][/ul]
What do y’all think of this? I’m concerned about expenses but I think it would be easy enough to cut costs (e.g. no crawfish, keg of Bud instead of more expensive stuff, etc.). I’d probably just play the Cajun/zydeco/Dixieland music every once in a while, perhaps when it was time to throw beads. Any other ideas?
I’ve been having Mardi Gras parties for the last 5 years or so. Really, it’s just and excuse to get all my friends together, drink, eat, and BS. Your ideas are more elaborate than mine (I don’t necessarily have New Orleans style food). Of course, I’m in the Chicago area, so I can’t make everyone go outside to drink hurricanes. I used to have a summer party as well, but so many people are on vacation that I always got a lousy turnout. My Mardi Gras parties are always packed. Last time I was in New Orleans I bought around 5 Mardi Gras party CDs. I also got a very cool leather mask at a shop on Royale St.
You should be able to get Mardi Gras beads at one of those big party supply stores - that’s where I got mine.
One thing you might want to consider is making or buying a King Cake. I have friends who always bring their own (non-authentic) version. Maybe get some pralines, too.
Don’t forget to ask your party attendees to dress up in wild costumes!
Porcupine is right, you should be able to find the beads at one of those party stores if not I bet you can find some on line.
Harry Conick Jr. has a more mainstream CD – I have it but can’t remember the name of it right off the bat…that is definately Louisana. The do Carnivale (sp) in South America so maybe some funky Latin music (no not Jennifer Lopez, some real stuff.)
Zataran’s, probably best known for their seasonings, now makes those boxed meals where all you add is the meat. I’ve made the jambalaya, gumbo, and red beans & pasta. They’re quite good.
For music, Nathan & the Zydeco Cha-Chas get good reviews for their live shows. Pete Fountain is probably the #1 name for Dixieland. Some rock groups also have the right sound, The Band for example. How about music from New Orleans’ past? There’s plenty of CDs featuring Louis Armstrong or Jelly Roll Morton.
For that true Mardi Gras feeling, be sure to cover your floors with about an inch of beer, urine, melted hurricanes, and cigarette butts…
The Harry Connick Jr. CD mentioned above would be “She” or “Star Turtle”, although I prefer “She”.
As for the beads, there are quite a few whole-salers out there on the internet with great prices…search for Mardi Gras Beads on Yahoo or your own personal favorite search engine…you’ll get plenty of results…I personally have dealt with Love Grows and Europe’s Finest…
Music: Don’t worry about appeasing the masses. If you play some good Mardi Gras/Zydeco compilations, people will love it. Here is a link to Amazon for two of my favorites: Hey Mardi Gras and Bayou Beat You’ll notice that the aforementioned Nathan and the Zydeco Cha-Cha’s are on these discs.
Food: Cajun food is cheap by definition. Yeah, a crawfish boil might be to expensive where you are, but you could easily make a great meal with red beans & rice, jambalaya, gumbo, and the like. Get a cajun cookbook (NOT Emeril Lagasse!)
Decorations: You could go far with a bunch of purple, yellow, and green streamers. I have seen some beautiful and elaborate decorations at The Old Bay but I’ll bet they were expensive. Get some friends together to make masks out of construction paper and glitter and hang them all over the place. It’s quantity, not quality that counts!
Wow, great ideas here! Thanks for the help, everyone! And yes, monster, you may attend. In fact, all of the SDMBers are invited. I hear you on Emeril, Green Bean.
