New Orleans Ready for Fat Tuesday

Hundreds of thousands of people are jamming the streets of New Orleans as Mardi Gras builds to Fat Tuesday celebrations. Rainy conditions haven’t stopped the party.

A weekend downpour rescheduled some of the major parades, but revelers continue to crowd the routes throughout New Orleans. Police have been enforcing a new 8 p.m. curfew in the French Quarter for those 16 years old and under who aren’t accompanied by adults. The annual celebration builds to an all-day street party ending in the French Quarter at midnight, marking Ash Wednesday and the start of fasting and penitence of Lent in the Christian calendar.