I've been going down to New Orleans for Mardi Gras season for several years but it hasn't been until the last two that I started going down for the end of the season - Fat Tuesday specifically. When you explain the experience to someone that's never been, the assumption is that it's simply an excuse to get inebriated and embrace debauchery. While there's certainly a bit of that, it's only a minor element of it all.

The majority of the experience is the creative outpourings from a massive number of participants. Look at this gallery from Cryptique, the "Krewe of Cemetary Shamblers." These creations are astounding, full stop. Each and every one is a massive labor of love and the results are spellbinding (to me). This level of dedication and detail is everywhere you look, for days.

I'll never be able to capture or summarize the experience properly but I think going here or here are great places to start.