Mardi Gras can make a lot of trash, adding up to millions of pounds each year. Now, some parades in New Orleans are cutting down on their environmental footprint by banning plastic beads.

— It’s carnival season in New Orleans with weeks of parades, all leading up to one day: Mardi Gras. Part of the parade appeal includes all the throws you can catch, like beads, from floats.

Saturday morning kicked off the 39th annual Youngsville Mardi Gras Parade. Parade goers dressed to impress, sporting a variety of vibrant and creative outfits in honor of the celebration.

Joshua Hazel and Christina G. were excited to participate in a Mardi Gras parade with other Cybertruck owners. The parade turned hostile with alcohol, beads, and insults hurled at the Cybertrucks.

“The waste is becoming a defining characteristic of this event,” said Brett Davis, a New Orleans native who grew up catching beads at Mardi Gras parades. He now heads a nonprofit that works to ...

Mardi Gras 2025: LIVE Parades, Beads & Festivities from New Orleans! Your live go-to guide for the live updates from New Orleans as the city celebrates Fat Tuesday.

The City of Lake Charles partnered with a local non-profit to help collect beads that clients at Autism Services will clean and sort them to re-sell. “Then we turn around and are able to sell them to ...

It was Mardi Gras weekend in New Orleans and popular LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne had the chance to experience the weekend in style while riding in the Endymion parade on Saturday night.