How to Host a Mardi Gras Party at Home
Host a Mardi Gras party at home that incorporates all the fun of Fat Tuesday and a Bourbon Street parade! Get ideas for decorations, food, drinks and fun for adults.
These ideas are for grownups as Mardi Gras is knows for it’s wild and crazy ways, and plenty of alcohol. You could also celebrate by hosting a more modest affair like a Mardi Gras dinner party and serve New Orleans style cuisine.
What Is Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras is synonymous with Fat Tuesday, the final celebration before Lent begins. And it’s most notable for it’s parades, costumes, and food. A great start for an at-home party theme for adults!
In America we’re most familiar with the events in New Orleans, but it’s celebrated in other parts of the world too. Carnival is also huge in Venice (Italy), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), and Nice (France).
When to Host
The best time to host a party is the Saturday before Fat Tuesday. That way people can let loose for the night and recover on Sunday.
Since Mardi Gras is tied to Easter, the date of Fat Tuesday will change each year. So check your calendar early and plan accordingly.
Party Decorations
The traditional colors are purple, green and gold so go wild with the décor using this tableau. Purple represents justice, green for faith, and gold for power.
- Welcome guests at the entrance with colorful beads hanging from a gate, porch rails, doors or columns.
- Use the color scheme in tablecloths, balloons, flowers, and backdrops.
- Hang beads everywhere! Hang from chandeliers, along stairway rails and banisters, fill glass jars, scatter on tables, hang them on mirrors, etc.
- Decorate with elaborate masks. Place them on stands, attach them to the wall, inside empty picture frames, or hang them on mirrors.
- Print and frame a table top sign that says, “laissez le bon temps rouler” for Let the Good Times Roll!
- Fill glass vases with doubloons (gold plastic coins) or scatter them on tables.
- Hang street signs with famous landmarks like Bourbon Street, The French Quarter, St. Charles Avenue, or the Garden District.
- Get really cheeky and hang a few bras, panties and boxers or briefs in strategic locations. If you know, you know!
- Incorporate harlequin patterns and fleur de lis where you can.
Beads everywhere. The cornerstone to any Mardi Gras party is the beads. Load up on them so you can give them out to guests, use them in a centerpiece, and decorate tables with.
Masks. If beads are the first thing you think about, then beautifully decorated masks are the second. Gather some colorful masks to wear and to decorate with.
What to Eat
There’s such a wide variety of food and drinks that you can serve for a party. Start with traditional New Orleans favorites as well as simple Southern snacks.
Snacks
When we visited New Orleans I discovered these Zapp’s potato chips that originated in Louisiana. They are so delicious, and adding them to the snack table adds a touch of authenticity.
Seasoned pecans are another great snack to nibble on. Place small dishes around the room and on the bar. Choose your favorite recipe from sweet & spicy pecans, or savory pecans.
Another delicious Southern snack is cheddar cheese coins. You can make them ahead and place small dishes of them throughout the party space.
Appetizers
Lighter bites and appetizers are great for a food table. Order oysters Rockefeller from a local restaurant or seafood shop. Or you can roast them like they do in New Orleans.
Prepare a charcuterie board filled with smoked sausage and kielbasa. Include the spicy Cajun flavor from Zatarain’s brand. Add these other recipes to round out the menu.
- Cold marinated shrimp appetizer
- Southern style cowboy salsa
- Pimento cheese spread
- Kielbasa bites
- Smoked sausage in easy bbq sauce
- Baked crab dip
- Crab stacks appetizers
Main Dish
New Orleans is known for it’s specialized Cajun cuisine, and it’s so flavorful! Add these dishes to the menu.
- Easy Jambalaya or vegetarian jambalaya
- Red Beans & Rice
- Etouffee
- Gumbo
- Bourbon meatballs (as heavy appetizer or main dish item)
- Shrimp & grits
- Shrimp boil (also called a Low Country Boil)
- Shrimp Po Boys
- Muffulettas
- Southern Jiffy Mix cornbread casserole
Dessert Ideas
While king cake IS king for Mardi Gras, there are some other southern desserts that you can serve too.
- Pick up a prepared king cake at the local bakery, or serve a layer cake that’s decorated with the play on words. Serve this “king” cake with a small gold crown on top and pretty edible flowers. It’s unexpected and whimsical.
- Grab some sugar coated beignets from the bakery while you’re at it.
- Make some pecan pralines, or try sugar coated candied pecans. They’re easier to make and just as delicious!
- This banana pudding mini desserts recipes is so great for parties because of the individual portions that make them easy to eat.
- Easy pecan pie bars are simply irresistible.
- New Orleans is all about the bourbon! Make some yummy bourbon balls to nibble on or as a take-home treat.
- Decorate some sugar cookies with cream cheese icing and purple, gold and green colored sugar.
What to Drink
The truth is, Mardi Gras celebrations focus a lot on the cocktails. You can provide a big batch punch or a signature cocktail with instructions to make it. Here are the classic choices.
- Hurricane drinks pack a punch with light rum, dark rum, and fruit juice.
- Sazerac has whiskey, cognac and bitters, with a hint of absinth.
- Bloody Mary or a do-it-yourself bloody mary bar.
- Bourbon drinks or a bourbon bar. Place a sign that says “Bourbon Street.”
How to Make It Fun
- Encourage guests to dress up as wild as they want. Wear feathers, boas, fringe, hats and masks. Have plenty of beads to hand out to guests.
- Crank up the music and dance! In lieu of a Mardi Gras parade, make a Soul Train line and show off some moves.
- Crown a Mardi Gras King and Queen later in the night and give them gold crowns to wear.
- Start the party by playing themed music to create the ambiance. Make a playlist with The Big Easy Soundtrack, When the Saints Go Marching In, Iko Iko, or simply search Mardi Gras music, New Orleans jazz, and Cajun Zydeco music.
Hang a backdrop of green, purple and gold fringe for guests to take photos in front of. Provide decorative props like feather boas, masks, beads and fun hats.
Make cute party favors by filling small boxes with colorful macarons to take home and enjoy later.
More Theme Party Ideas
- Throw a St. Patrick’s Day party for adults.
- Host a festive Cinco de Mayo party.
- Have a fun Kentucky Derby theme party to watch the race.
- Set up a tropical style Havana Nights theme party at home.
Are you ready to celebrate with a Mardi Gras party for adults? It’s a great way to let loose and have rowdy fun!
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Luv the centerpiece idea with the masks! The colors are used very elegantly. It’s time to party!
Kendall, between my girl friend and I, we have had these decorations for 3 years. They have hosted some Great Mardi Gras parties! So, I didn’t make the masks. I did cut out the diamonds, though. Some of the foods at previous Mardi Gras Cocktail parties were Bourbon Meatballs, Cajun Cocktail Shrimp, Jambalaya, and Level 1,3, and 5 Hurricanes! Good luck with your party. I can’t wait to see pictures.
I love that you celebrate every holiday!! You are one friend I would like to party with! Nice job!
This looks so good! I am in the process of decorating for a Mardi Gras party too! I love the beads in the vase idea…I am still struggling with a centerpiece. Did you make or buy those masks?
I am doing a cocktail party instead of a sit down dinner so I’m trying to figure out what to serve and how to decorate the table. I love the diamonds you cut out…I’m going to steal that idea!