“While best known for parties, costumes and beads ... in the parades but their club activities and traditional Mardi Gras balls are by invitation, with each ball naming its own krewe royalty.

Thousands of revelers sporting beads and outlandish costumes ... year's Mardi Gras Day fell unusually late in the year. But the outsized culture of street parties, extravagant balls and spirited ...

However, there is much more to Mardi Gras than booze, costumes and hedonism ... 27. Every krewe's ball reveals its own king, queen and court every year. 28. Different New Orleans neighborhoods ...

Thousands of revelers adorned in beads and outlandish costumes ... year's Mardi Gras Day falls unusually late in the year. But the outsized culture of street parties, extravagant balls and ...

PHOTOS: New Orleans celebrates Mardi Gras Day with costumes and revelry despite weather ... But the outsized culture of street parties, extravagant balls and spirited parades has evolved into ...