Mardi Gras: Revelry or Risk?

Revelry: Mardi Gras is a Cultural Celebration

From Brazil’s Carnival — filled with theatrical parade performances — to the UK’s Pancake Day — dedicated to binging on all the fatty foods in a household before forgoing them for the next 40 days — celebrations globally bring diverse heritages often unrepresented in popular culture to the forefront of public media consumption in the days preceding Christian’s observation of Lent. 

Mardi Gras, translated from French as “Fat Tuesday,” is the most popular pre-Lenten celebration in the United States, with one of the grandest displays of the event being in New Orleans, La..

While Lent is a somber period meant for self-reflection and fasting in preparation for Easter, the festivities proceeding Ash Wednesday — the first day of Lent — aren’t anything like the subdued 40 days to follow. 

Aspects of the Roman festivities Saturnalia, with its boisterous parties, and Lupercalia, centered on purification and fertility, were infused with the Lenten season by Roman Catholics set on converting pagans to Christianity. Today, these ancient traditions continue to influence celebrations held around the world intended as a last indulgence for Christians before being asked to give up their creature comforts during Lent.

In the United States, Mardi Gras parties are recognized by their extravagant parade floats, filled with riders in Venetian masks, wandering down Bourbon Street — New Orleans most famous row of bars — as crowds gather to grasp for coveted prizes, like beads and Zulu Coconuts, thrown by the riders. 

Some will do anything — even publicly expose themselves — in the belief they’ll have a better chance at receiving Mardi Gras parade memorabilia. 

However, this isn’t part of New Orleans’ historic Mardi Gras tradition. It is much easier — and better for waste management — to pick up one of the 25 million pounds of plastic purple, green and gold beaded necklaces discarded on the ground after the parades.

In New Orleans, African and Native American heritage have blended to produce what’s known as the Mardi Gras Indians. A group of predominantly African Americans from the inner city carries on a tradition dating back to the 19th century of creating hand-beaded costumes resembling the feathered headdresses and regalia of the Chitimacha, Houma and other Native American tribes of the region.

By creating these elaborate costumes and wearing them during Mardi Gras festivities, African Americans are honoring the Native Americans who assisted runaway slaves and their ancestors who created this tradition when segregation prohibited them from joining in white-only parades.

Members of the over 40 Mardi Gras Indian tribes fear non-participation in parades could cause their history to disappear. 

Beyond the celebrations held in New Orleans, Mardi Gras has helped spread Creole and Cajun traditions to areas of the country with limited access to them on a day-to-day basis.

In Chicago, only 10,000 of the over 2.7 million people living in the city claim Creole heritage. Through coordinated Mardi Gras events, Chicagoans can help their traditions prosper by dining on Cajun and Creole cookery. 

At Loyola University, efforts made by Campus Ministry and Loyola Dining Services offered students the chance to experience a multicultural Mardi Gras on Feb 17. 

While Damen Dinning served Louisiana staples like jambalaya and hushpuppies on the first floor, Campus Ministry honored Chicago’s notable Polish community on the second with Pączki — a filled-pastry treat traditionally feasted on the day before Ash Wednesday.

While further improvements can be made on the societal and environmental impacts of the practices of this holiday, it’s imperative for the strength of the various ethnic groups found in the United States for Mardi Gras to bring people together for a joyous cause.

Risk: It Poses Potential Danger

While Mardi Gras may have roots in rich cultural traditions, its modern execution reveals serious risks to public safety and the environment. 

For starters, large crowds packed shoulder to shoulder create conditions where injuries are common. With minutes to spare, cars, motorcycles and even floats can veer into spectators, causing traumatic harm. 

Historic incidents show dangers extend beyond ordinary mishaps. 

In 2017, a pickup truck driven by a heavily intoxicated driver plowed into a parade crowd during the Endymion procession, an extravagant parade on the Saturday before Fat Tuesday. The incident hospitalized 21 people, including children and law enforcement officers. 

Safety failures have had even deadlier consequences. 

In early 2025, a vehicle-ramming attack on Bourbon Street killed multiple people and left scores wounded. Subsequent investigations found planned anti-vehicle barriers were often not deployed, leaving pedestrians exposed on a street famed for celebration but lacking robust protection. 

Thankfully, this event prompted federal security reviews and expanded barrier plans for future celebrations, but left a bitter taste in those hoping to experience a safe, fun Mardi Gras. 

On top of this, there’s Mardi Gras’ infamous heavy-drinking culture. 

Intoxicated participants — which is to say most, if not all participants — stray into traffic lanes, stumble over discarded trash in narrow streets and misjudge distances near heavy equipment. 

Environmental repercussions further erode the celebratory narrative. 

Tens of millions of pounds of plastic beads are thrown each year, with only a small fraction being recycled. These nonbiodegradable plastics contribute to the trash clogging storm drains and leaching heavy chemicals into soil and waterways, which can all pose harm to wildlife in Louisiana’s delicate ecosystems. 

Cleanup operations are extensive and costly. 

After the final parade each year, municipal workers deploy bulldozers, pressure washers and crews to haul away massive piles of trash. 

This cycle of waste extraction underscores the toll of the festival on public infrastructure and sanitation services. 

So, yes, while Mardi Gras undeniably brings economic activity and cultural visibility to cities like New Orleans and Chicago, its modern form carries persistent public safety challenges and environmental impacts which warrant careful scrutiny. 

In chasing the thrill of beads and bourbon, cities risk turning centuries of cultural heritage into a cautionary tale written in sirens and cleanup crews.

The Revelry section was written by Sophia Reass. The Risk section was written by deputy opinion editor Carlos Soto-Angulo.