Posts Tagged ‘parade’

New Orleans, Louisiana is famous for its annual Mardi Gras celebration, complete with its parades, parade floats, and marching bands. The name Mardi Gras means “Fat Tuesday” in French and the week-long event is held as a final indulgence before Ash Wednesday, when Catholics around the world begin Lent, a 40-day fasting period before Easter. Despite Mardi Gras’ religious background, people of all faiths and beliefs flock to the Big Easy for this extravagant party each year.

One of the biggest aspects of Mardi Gras is the multiple parades that run through New Orleans on Fat Tuesday. Parades generally feature live music, automobiles, and, of course, giant parade floats. A growing trend among New Orleans companies is the idea of organizing their own Mardi Gras parade for their business. Since there is no “right” way to have a Mardi Gras parade, business owners can incorporate the suggestions of their employees when deciding how to plan their celebration.

Since many parades include marching bands, employers can contact local high school band directors to inquire about having a band lead the parade in their full uniforms. While many of the show-stopping floats in New Orleans are made by local manufacturer, Kern Studios, corporations that want to plan their own company Mardi Gras parade can commission a professional float designer to produce a traditional float. Often, classic Mardi Gras floats feature the colors purple, green, and gold, accompanied by jester faces, beads, and a brightly painted scene on the sides.

It’s also a great idea to decide who from the company will ride on the float. Small businesses may be able to include everyone in the festivities, while larger companies might need to draw names to select participants. Since nearly 60 “krewes” or parade groups participate in Mardi Gras each year, you might want to select a day during the festival that doesn’t have a lot of planned parades. Ask the police department for an official escort and for a map of the city so that you can plan your parade route. Do this as far in advance as possible to avoid missing an available spot in the schedule.

With a little ingenuity and planning, you and your employees can have a classic Mardi Gras parade that will advertise your business to the city and improve company morale.

Image c/o: Chasqui (Luis Tamayo)

What’s the only thing better than Girls Night Out? Well an entire Girls Weekend of course! And today we take a look at a great girl’s weekend getaway idea you may not have heard of yet – FestiGals in New Orleans .

FestiGals is a weekend festival running from October 6-9^th 2011 dedicated to celebrating women, fashion, food, friendship and fun! Women can enjoy the entire New Orleans experience including great hotels, food and culture as well as take time to discuss important women’s issues – and even listen to a special presentation from CNN correspondent Soledad O’Brien.

3 great reasons FestiGals makes a great girls weekend:

1. Enjoy New Orleans in the fall: New Orleans is a great place to visit in the fall. You can walk almost anywhere in the pleasant weather, and FestiGals takes place at the historic Hotel Monteleone (one of New Orleans finest hotels)
2. Great Events & Speakers: The weekend is planned to allow just enough time for relaxation while still offering a great lineup of activities and speakers.
3. S.H.E. Conference: The S.H.E. (Self, Heart and Empowerment) Series offers women a half-day filled with food, fun, and seminars dedicated to Self, Heart and Empowerment.

Great lineup in a great city

FestiGals was conceived and launched by Diane Lyons, President of ACCENT on Arrangements, a New Orleans-based destination management company. Her concept was to give women a great reason to visit New Orleans, along with the opportunity to recharge and reconnect with a relaxing, festive and authentic New Orleans experience. In addition to offering a great lineup of inspirational speakers, the weekend will offer Yoga, guided tours of the city, a special “Fire & Ice” Cocktail Party as well as an authentic New Orleans second-line parade.

One of the highlights of this year’s event will be a special presentation by anchor and special correspondent for CNN/U.S., Soledad O’Brien. Soledad is strongly committed to telling the story of New Orleans as is evident in her Children of the Storm project and documentary “One Crime at a Time.”

Special Offer

There are several special offers available for early registrants, including great package deals from the Hotel Monteleone and a drawing to win a $100 American Express Gift Card for those who register by August 22, 2011. View the FestiGals website for more information including registration information.

Time to treat yourself

Women, it seem, never get enough time for themselves, so why not buck the trend and treat you and your favorite “gal pals” to a girls weekend in New Orleans to checkout FestiGals?

Only in New Orleans!

Are you looking for something truly unique to try on your next company meeting or conference in New Orleans? What about having your very own Mardi Gras parade?

Nothing will get your group motivated and moving quite like a parade and, in New Orleans, we know a thing or two about parades!

See a video of this great event.

Enjoy the experience of a company Mardi Gras parade

A night of perfectly planned festivities begins the moment your guests gather and prepare for the experience of a lifetime. Led by a local high school marching band, your “krewe” boards an authentic Mardi Gras float.

Just as they do in traditional Mardi Gras parades, the krewe takes to the city streets with a New Orleans Police escort who will block traffic to get your krewe safely and swiftly to their final destination with all the pomp and circumstance of true Mardi Gras royalty.

Looking for a tailor-made parade or event for your group?

Contact ACCENT on Arrangements – DMC at (504) 524-1227 or email us at info@accent-dmc.com.