After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, there wasn’t much going on. So Blaine Kern, of Mardi Gras World and known as Mr. Mardi Gras, decided to resurrect a lost tradition of Halloween parades in 2007. He formed the Krewe of Halloween and dedicated plenty of resources to build a series of floats for a revived Halloween parade.

Three years later, the parade is quickly growing into another attraction during Halloween, bringing more people into the city to celebrate the dark All Hallow’s Eve holiday. The parade starts the Saturday evening of Halloween, and progresses down Decatur Street all the way to the eastbank location of Mardi Gras World.

The floats are sufficiently spooky, and the “throws,” the plastic loot that is thrown from the floats, is appropriately themed. People come costumed and jostle for position to capture their prizes, so be careful! This is a less intense way to get a taste of Mardi Gras, and is a fun precursor to a Halloween night out at the Bourbon gay bars.