What’s it like riding in a Mardi Gras parade? Here’s how my first time went in Biloxi.
Mardi Gras is about catching beads, eating Moon Pies and king cake and having fun on the parade route with your family and friends. But for others, the thrill comes while riding in a plywood box being towed by a pickup truck.
In all seriousness, floats and the time and effort put into them are what make Mardi Gras great, so I decided to see what it’s like to ride on one during a parade.
On Tuesday, over 100 floats took to the streets of Biloxi for the annual Gulf Coast Carnival Association parade, so I caught a ride on one.
While this wasn’t my first time at a Mardi Gras parade, this was going to be my first riding on a float. I showed up to one of the largest parades on the Coast around 11 a.m. before a start time two hours later. I rode on the Beau Rivage Casino’s BetMGM float with newbies and float experts alike.
Our float consisted of one level with a table in the center, tons of hooks for beads, cupholders built into the railings, and surprisingly enough a port-a-potty stall in the center. I appreciate the practicality.
I did not realize just how much stuff is thrown by each float. Each rider on our float had at their disposal bags and bags of beads, stuffed animals, Moon Pies, plastic coins, toys, cups and other throws. The float even had a DJ spinning tunes.
“My favorite thing to throw is the footballs, the only problem is you run out of those quick,” said Carl Johnson, one of my companions on the float, who is a seasoned float rider and MS Coast local.
In between filming and taking photos, I gave tossing beads my best try. While it doesn’t appear that there’s an incorrect way to toss beads, I seemed to still find a poor way to do it, often tossing the beads right into someone’s face rather than their open hands. If you are one of the unlucky ones to get a face full of beads because of me — I’m so sorry.
Luckily, one of my other float companionswas a little bit better at it than me.
Matt Cosgriff is from Australia, lives in Las Vegas and came down to Biloxi to experience Mardi Gras for the first time with the Beau Rivage.
“I threw more than Mahomes I reckon,” Cosgriff said, referring to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. “I did a few wide receiver passes, I was very happy with those throws. It was a lot of fun, the smile on the kids faces when they get the beads, that’s what it’s all about.”
I have a new found respect for all the float riders that make the parades what they are because after hours of standing and throwing beads, I was ready to relax. It was an awesome time, though, experiencing Mardi Gras from another persepctive.
This story was originally published February 22, 2023 at 12:11 PM.
