New Orleans celebrates more than any other place on Earth, and Mardi Gras is the mother of them all. Millions of people visit in the 6 weeks leading up to Mardi Gras proper to experience the Big Easy at it’s most festive.

And there is one man often credited with taking Mardi Gras to where it is today: Blaine Kern. All mail arriving in New Orleans addressed to Mr. Mardi Gras is regularly forwarded to Mr. Kern. He is Mr. Mardi Gras.

In the 1950s, as an apprentice at his father’s sign making company, his talents caught the eye of the director of the largest parading organization on the West Bank, the Captain of the Krewe of Alla. From that first float, Kern built his business to the behemoth it is today, providing floats for 40 parading krewes in New Orleans, as well as parades in Philadelphia, Universal Studios, Miami, and Cannes.

A visit to Mardi Gras World is a fast education into the business of Mardi Gras, and how creativity is essential at every stage of float making, from concept to execution. The tour takes you through the Mardi Gras World workshop, where you can see sketches of upcoming floats, and see how the team uses (and reuses) Styrofoam, fiberglass and other materials to craft each individual prop. The props then get placed onto painted floats, creating a pastiche reflecting that particular krewe’s theme.

After the tour, take a stroll around the warehouse and see dozens of past floats, impressive in their stature and intricacy. You can take a peek inside the plywood skeleton of a float, noticing the hooks for beads, coolers for booze, and unisex toilets. Yes, toilets! The krewes are not allowed to leave their floats once the parade has started, sometimes spending over 10 hours on their feet!

Mardi Gras World is not as much as a tourist trap as it appears, and is a laid-back good time for those looking to step behind the curtain.