{"id":113055,"date":"2021-02-16T15:12:36","date_gmt":"2021-02-16T15:12:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/precoinnews.com\/?p=113055"},"modified":"2021-02-16T15:12:36","modified_gmt":"2021-02-16T15:12:36","slug":"inside-wild-mardi-gras-as-festival-cancelled-for-first-time-since-1979","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/precoinnews.com\/world-news\/inside-wild-mardi-gras-as-festival-cancelled-for-first-time-since-1979\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside wild Mardi Gras as festival ‘cancelled’ for first time since 1979"},"content":{"rendered":"

The world-famous Mardi Gras festival in New Orleans will look a little bit different this year as it has been "cancelled" for the first time in more than 40 years thanks to coronavirus. <\/p>\n

Authorities in the Big Easy have banned parades while all outdoor bars were closed from last Friday until Tuesday due to an "unacceptable" crowd on the famous Bourbon Street the previous weekend.<\/p>\n

This all means it will be a far cry from the naked revelling and wild partying with the carnival that has been dubbed "the greatest show on Earth".<\/p>\n

Each year a staggering 1.4 million people pack the streets of New Orleans, Louisiana, to enjoy the city's iconic parades and festivities. <\/p>\n

It dates back to 1699 and is believed to have started as a Christian holiday of excess before the period of Lent began, hence why the celebrations are concentrated on the two weeks before and through Shrove Tuesday.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

But it has been transformed into a boozy and debauched event full of naked flesh.<\/p>\n

Mardi Gras, which is French for Shrove Tuesday, is traditionally held the day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday but in New Orleans, it has become a three-week party of colour and extravagant costumes.<\/p>\n

Wild pics from past years show revellers flashing their breasts for beads on the infamous Bourbon Street in the French Quarter.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n