Couches, scaffolding, sided tents and unlicensed porta potties will be conspicuously absent from parade routes this Mardi Gras due to the new regulations adopted by the New Orleans City Council. The updated city code regulations aim to make Mardi Gras a more enjoyable experience for the average attendee and make cleanup efforts easier.
The new ordinances specifically ban stands, structures, upholstered furniture, platforms, generators and open flames. New throw rules prohibit confetti, silly string and beads containing symbolism unrelated to the carnival organization’s parade. Setting up four or more hours before a parade is also prohibited.
The new regulations have not found a receptive audience among Tulane University students.
“I think that the old rules were better,” sophomore Zev Gaslin said. “As somebody who has been out on the parade route, there are definitely things you need out there, like a tent and a comfortable place to sit.”
The regulations aim to make cleanup easier for sanitation workers. In 2023, Mardi Gras generated over 2.5 million pounds of trash.
The new rules will empower the New Orleans Police Department to issue $250 on-the-spot fines and confiscate any property in violation of the city code. Questions persist over the practicality of enforcement.
According to the Office of the Independent Police Monitor, a city government office responsible for NOPD oversight, officers are already supervising traffic direction, crowd control, general security and crime response. The Louisiana State Police and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will bolster the NOPD by providing additional wedges, barriers and K-9 patrols.
When asked how he thought the new rules would change Mardi Gras, Gaslin remained optimistic.
“I don’t think they’ll make it substantially different. People will find a way, but [the rules] will definitely make it [more difficult],” Gaslin said. “I feel like it’s not going to discourage people, it’s just going to make it more uncomfortable to be there.”
New city ordinances won’t be the only difference this Mardi Gras.
Following the New Year’s Bourbon Street attack, Mardi Gras received a Special Event Assessment Rating of 1, placing it in the same federal security assistance category as presidential inaugurations. The SEAR 1 designation unlocks federal air patrols, tactical response teams, cybersecurity threat assessments and federal security experts.
In a press conference, Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced the city will hire Bill Bratton, former New York Police Department commissioner and security consultant, to advise the city on how to best protect Mardi Gras celebrants.
