Revel in Mardi Gras Mania

Let the good times roll.

Many say Mardi Gras is the greatest party on earth. In the United States, New Orleans celebrates the day with irreverent grandeur. But you don’t have to go to New Orleans to have a rollicking good time. Here's how to bring Mardi Gras to your home.

1. Send invites two to three weeks before the party.

As a prelude to your extravaganza, fill invitation envelopes with confetti.
Request that your guests come in costume. Assign a theme.

2. Set the stage.

String up strands of lights in the traditional Mardi Gras colors of purple, green and gold.
Fill the room with balloons, streamers, confetti and beads in purple, green and gold.
Use colorful masks and feathers to decorate the beverage bars and buffet tables.
Put on Cajun and Zydeco music. Even better, hire musicians or DJs specializing in Cajun music.
Dress up as the King and Queen from the Royal Court of Mardi Gras.
If they're part of the merriment, have your children dress up as Court Jesters.

3. Welcome guests.

Greet your guests with beads and masks in hand. Let no one enter unmasked.
Provide feather boas, tiaras and crowns for your guests to play with.
Show kids how to make their own masks.

4. Let the good times roll.

Or, as they say in New Orleans, laissez les bons temps rouler!

Serve Cajun food: crawfish, étouffée, shrimp Creole and Jambalaya.
Serve King Cake, an oval pastry with a small plastic doll hidden inside.
Sweeten everyone up with Carnation Key Lime Pie or crunchy Pumpkin Pecan Pie.
Serve champagne or mint juleps to quench the revelers' thirst.
Keep a camera on hand to catch all the antics.

5. End on high note.

Send guests home with Mardi Gras goodie bags filled with beads, coins, candies and toys.
Hand out Cajun cookbooks to recreate a Mardi Gras meal at home.