New Orleans: Mardi Gras World Behind-the-Scenes Tour

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New Orleans: Mardi Gras World Behind-the-Scenes Tour

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Take an all-access, self-guided or guided tour through a massive warehouse where artists and architects build unique Mardi Gras floats from the ground up year after year. Enjoy an included shuttle service from Downtown.

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Highlights

Enjoy a self-guided or guided tour to see how one-of-a-kind floats are created
Marvel at talented artists painting and sculpting materials to create lavish Mardi Gras floats
Watch a fun and informative film about Mardi Gras and taste traditional King Cake
Access Mardi Gras World easily with regular shuttle service from Downtown New Orleans

Description

Discover Mardi Gras magic on a self-guided or guided tour of Mardi Gras World, where artists and craftsmen have designed and built the oldest and biggest parade floats and attractions for each Mardi Gras season in New Orleans since 1947. Begin your tour by receiving your ticket in form of a bead necklace and watch a film which gives an overview of the history of Mardi Gras in New Orleans and the role Mardi Gras World plays in it to this day. Then, enjoy a slice of the traditional Mardi Gras cake, King Cake, before your self-guided or guided tour leads you through the float den. Explore where Mardi Gras World artists work year-round to build spectacular, one-of-a-kind floats and props, with over 500 floats built and decorated each year. See how the various themed elements are created from scratch or are adapted from elements created for previous themes — from sculpting the elements, to finishing and painting them. There is even an electronic robot that can carve 3-D sculptures. Take photos with some of the finished pieces from various themes over the years, then tour the floats themselves. Get up closer to the floats than is possible during Mardi Gras parades, and find out how these amazing pieces come to life each year. See floats in various stages of completion as they prepare for the upcoming Mardi Gras as much as a whole year before. At the end of the tour, stay and take more pictures with any of the floats if you like. For your convenience, a complimentary shuttle service is provided from stops in Downtown.

Includes

1-hour self-guided or guided tour of Mardi Gras World 15-minute film about Mardi Gras in New Orleans Slice of traditional King Cake Shuttle with 11 pre-determined pickup and drop-off locations along the 'Canal Street Shuttle Route' throughout Downtown New Orleans all located on Mardi Gras Worlds website at MardiGrasWorld.com Ticket bead

Important Information

Tours begin every 30 minutes and last approximately 1 hour
The first tour begins at 9:30 AM and the last tour begins at 4:30 PM
A portion of the tour is not climate-controlled
Please arrive 15 minutes before the tour begins
Mardi Gras World is closed on the following days every year: Mardi Gras Day, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day
There is free parking along Tchoupitoulas Street
There is also $20 all-day parking in parking lot J (Convention Center's Parking Lot) located across the train tracks in front of Mardi Gras World -Mardi Gras World offers a complimentary shuttle, with ten central pick-up spots. To see shuttle pick-up locations, visit mardigrasworld.com The shuttle is easy to spot because it is covered with photos of Mardi Gras World and has the logo on the side. There are no prearranged pick-ups, just call when you are at one of the designated spots, and we will quickly pick you up!