Mardi Gras parades were canceled in 2021 to limit the spread of COVID-19. Instead, some people decorated their houses like parade floats in a trend that some called 'Yardi Gras.
Snopes is still fighting an 'infodemic' of rumors and misinformation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, and you can help. Find out what we've learned and how to inoculate yourself against COVID-19 misinformation. Read the latest fact checks about the vaccines. Submit any questionable rumors and 'advice' you encounter. Become a Founding Member to help us hire more fact-checkers. And, please, follow the CDC or WHO for guidance on protecting your community from the disease. New Orleans' yearly celebration of Mardi Gras, where parades go around the city marking the end of the Christian festive season of Carnival, will see some changes in 2021. Mayor LaToya Cantrell's office announced that the annual festival was 'not cancelled, just different,' because of safety concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Carnival season officially started on Jan. 6 and concludes in mid-February. The city cannot 'cancel' Mardi Gras, as it is a religious holiday, but did say it would be canceling the parades. FAQs on the mayor's website stated: 'Parades of any kind will not be permitted this year because large gatherings have proven to be super spreader events of the COVID-19 virus.' Instead, in November, Cantrell called on residents of New Orleans to come up with safer ways to celebrate the festival. Many rose to the occasion by decorating their own homes as parade floats. Since November, thousands had joined online groups to support efforts to decorate in their neighborhoods. The trend has been unofficially dubbed 'Yardi Gras.' Some also hired out-of-work Carnival artists and suppliers affected by the parade cancellations to decorate their homes. The Krewe of House Floats, a group behind a lot of the neighborhood decorations also created a map of the decorated houses. One YouTuber took a tour of decorated houses: Many online are jokingly calling this trend 'Yardi Gras': This house in the Bywater is excellent #YardiGras #kreweofhousefloats pic.twitter.com/7pXZt2s1qJ - James Cullen (@AccidentalCajun) January 26, 2021 A house float set to boil. More food themes, this one on the 3800 block of Bienville St. in Mid-City, the NOLA Living real estate office. Happy #yardigras #HouseFloats #MardiGras2021 pic.twitter.com/UO7Ug4nYAw - Ian McNulty (@IanMcNultyNOLA) January 31, 2021 Given the official announcement from the mayor's office and several photographs and videos showing local efforts to celebrate the holiday in a different way, we rate this claim as 'True.'
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