With the legendary religious holiday, and iconic New Orleans celebration and event extravaganza, Mardi Gras being “cancelled,” many were left even more disheartened and apathetic about the world inside a global pandemic that grows increasingly more and more glum each day. While it technically can’t be cancelled, Mayor LaToya Cantrell of New Orleans announced in mid November that the holiday simply wouldn’t be featuring the fantastical floats and mass gatherings of people that usually fill the streets of the magical city each year on Feb. 16. This was done in an effort to keep the citizens of, not only New Orleans, but the greater nation of North America as well as the world safe from the ongoing spread of COVID-19; being well-known and starstruck as it is, people from all over the globe often come to the Louisiana city to partake in all the grand festivities and revelry.

In order to make up for it, of course, residents of New Orleans instead opted to decorate their street-lined homes in the traditional, flamboyant style of a Mardi Gras day parade float; kind of like Christmas decorations. These floats didn’t move or feature any artists or bands, but accomplished the goal exceedingly well of bringing some life back into the city, on a day that was usually insanely busy, but left rather desolate in a year filled with so much death and disease. The range of “floats” was respective once again to Christmas Decorations; some stuck to the simple adorning of purple, green, and gold, on themselves and all over their homes, while other had large animatronics and streamers; lights even, in some cases, could be seen commemorating the odd day in New Orleans history.

Regardless, even in a world-wide pandemic, Mardi Gras will never be cancelled; not just because it’s a religious holiday held deeply dear and sacred to many New Orleans citizens, and even that of the greater globe, but because the people who have called New Orleans home for so long, and seen so many Mardi Gras day parades and festivities pass them by, simply won’t let the day go un-commemorated. For as long as COVID-19 can’t reach the spirits of people, we will always find a way to make the best of things.