And what would the Mardi Gras parade be without the gigantic, ornate floats? The world-famous floats take a year to make. Well, nearly a year. 50 weeks, to be exact, because for two weeks they're ...

Sacramento broke out the beads for a Mardi Gras Festival on Saturday night, with creative floats from the City of ... pirates ...

Mardi Gras World offers a close-up look at some of the flamboyant floats and costumes used during New Orleans' famous party. One thing to know upfront: This isn't a museum – it's a warehouse ...

Everybody's got 200 pounds of beads and their attic from past Mardi Gras parades," she said. The idea soon blew up. Before she knew it, people around the city were turning their homes into floats.

Three parades will roll Thursday night in New Orleans with scores of masked riders on colorful floats. More processions will continue every day through Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday. Costumed ...