Anyone who is planning on doing Mardi Gras this coming February, it's time to start planning on your hotel, plane, etc. Mardi Gras starts 2/26/06 thru 3/02/06. TT has a tour in its' 2006 USA tour book and just for the land price, it starts of at $1075. I know the hotels sell out very quickly from what I've heard and read. Happy Mardi Gras time.

Hi Marie A

LOL

Are you on commission????

Sydney Australia also has their Gay Mardi Gra on around this time, lots of fun & colour.

Cheers
Spooky

Yeah and try to get a hotel accom. in Sydney at that time! This year the Australian Track& Field Championships were held in Sydney on the same weekend as the gay Mardi Gras. I started to look on-line for our T&F accom. straight after the New Year. When I was finding numerous hotels not available and others with not much discount at all, I thought - what the heck....? Then I found out about the clash.
We usually look at Homebush Bay first, then the Paramatta area. We finished up booking the Mercure in Rosehill at the end and had to move on it, only a few rooms left after some athletes couldn't get accom. in Novotel & Ibis at the Olympic Park and were sent to Rosehill.

Mardi Gras!?! I'm having a nervous breakdown seeing Christmas stuff in the stores already! !

ROXY...Harrods in London just opened their Christmas merchandise department!

Oh no! Not Christmas decorations already! It is way too early. Bah humbug

We started seeing Christmas stuff in some of the stores here in JUNE! Whatever happened to Halloween and Thanksgiving? There oughta be a law!

Now that Hurricane Katrina has struck the New Orleans area, I doubt that the Mardi Gras will be held next February due to the fact that it will take several months (even years) to rebuild the area as many buildings and roads have been destroyed from this storm. This has been one of the worst storms that have struck the United States in years.

Just want to make sure everyone knows my post re Mardi Gras was long before Katrina.
Also, I wonder what has happened to Preservation Hall.
Take care;
Jo

The paper today said that it was unlikely that the Mardi Gras would happen next year. But you never know for sure.

perseus...
Since most of the buildings, roads, etc. have been destroyed in New Orleans, I really don't see how New Orleans can have the Mardi Gras next Winter. It will take years to re-build the roads and buildings to take care of the traffic and to house all the tourists who will be coming in.

I know. Just being wishful, and I don't trust papers 100%.

Actually, I understand that the French Quarter fared pretty well, relatively speaking. That part of New Oleans is on higher ground and the flooding was not nearly as severe as it was in most parts of town. Even yesterday reports were that there were people in the French Quarter who were so occupied with drinking that they still wouldn't leave in spite of all of the death and destruction throughout the city. I guess they've drunk themselves into oblivion. I pity them the day they sober up!

I read there is a concern about a number of N.O.'s jazz musicians. Fats Domino and family were rescued, and some others have been heard of, but there are still others on the missing list. Apparently most of them chose to stay rather than evacuate and their current whereabouts are not known.

A this time whether or not NO can hold Mardi Gras is the least of the issues, although if they could rally to that point to be able to hold Mardi Gras it would mean that they are on the road to recovery. I really doubt that could happen. I was in NO in December and visited Mardi Gras World, where they make and store the floats for Mardi Gras in several huge warehouses. The warehouses are located right on the banks of the Mississippi River and I
suspect that they were damaged.