Mardi Gras Costumes

Mardi Gras Activities

The costume or costumes you choose for Mardi Gras will depend on the activities you are planning to take part in. If you're going to be on a float, you'll want a different costume than if you are merely attending a parade, going to a kids-included party, a masquerade ball or a party far from the Mardi Gras crowds in Louisiana.

Floats often have themes or traditional costumes that are worn by the riders. Parade spectators may not dress up at all, may have a simple costume involving the traditional Mardi Gras colors (purple for justice, green for faith and gold for power) or could dress to the nines in an outrageous costume, though these are often reserved for after-dark street parties rather than daytime parade watching.

Whenever children are invited to a party, of course, you will want to wear something that is appropriate. No extremely sexy, skimpy or raunchy costumes, please. Masquerades tend to involve fancy, period costumes, though exactly which period you're talking about may be a subject of debate.

Anything goes when you're throwing a Mardi Gras themed party, from simple to elaborate costumes. You might want to give your invitees a theme to work with so all your guests have costumes that coordinate, or just let their imaginations run wild!

Mardi Gras Costume Basics

Mardi Gras is similar to Halloween in that you can dress up as anything you like. Mardi Gras costume outlets sell costumes that are quite similar to those sold at the Halloween stores, perhaps with the naughtiness factor ratcheted up a bit.

The key thing when thinking about a Mardi Gras costume is getting away from your everyday life. Dress up in a way that no one would ever suspect you would want to dress up. Mardi Gras is about fantasy, play, going wild and having fun.

Mardi Gras is not only about leaving your life behind, it's also about leaving your identity behind through the use of makeup or a mask. Dressing up so that no one knows who you are is a big part of the fun, and it eliminates some of your day-to-day inhibitions and lets you have a great time without worrying about what people think.

Sources for Mardi Gras Costumes

Since Mardi Gras costumes are often so similar to Halloween costumes, you can buy costumes for Mardi Gras at all the same places you would buy costumes for Halloween. There are, however, many sources for costumes that are specific to Mardi Gras, such as:

• Mardi Gras Costumes
• Mardi Gras Outlet
• Party Supplies Hut
• Costumes Inc.
• Anytime Costumes

Costumes vary widely in price depending on how elaborate your chosen costume is or what you want to dress as. Don't forget about costumes for couples and groups, which can also be a lot of fun for Mardi Gras.

Making Your Own

If you're the crafty type, you can also make your own Mardi Gras costume. Anything that's out of the ordinary for you to wear would make a fine Mardi Gras costume, so raid the closets in your house and see what you can come up with. You might make "costumes" out of vintage clothing, some of your spouse's old clothing, even an old trench coat or anything else in your house.

Another easy way to make a Mardi Gras costume is just to dress head to toe in green, gold and purple. Throw on as many Mardi Gras beads as you can, as well as a colorful mask, maybe a feather boa, and a tall hat, and you'll be ready to party.

Of course you can also make more traditional Halloween costumes into Mardi Gras costumes. Check out any of the articles on Halloween costumes for ideas and inspiration about making costumes for Mardi Gras. Just remember to go wild and have fun!