Did You Know?

Mardi Gras Fun Facts

• The average Southwest Louisiana Mardi Gras costume weighs more than 50 pounds.
• The construction of most Southwest Louisiana costumes begins as early as the day after Mardi Gras.
• Most of the caps that you see on the costume-wearers began as a simple piece of aluminum foil.
• That Southwest Louisiana Mardi Gras is the second largest in the state behind New Orleans.
• That there are more than 60 krewes involved with Southwest Louisiana Mardi Gras.
• That the Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu contains the largest collection of Mardi Gras costumes in the world.
• Cajun Mardi Gras costumes are often made of shirts and pants that feature large, colorful fringes.
• The tall, pointy hats typically seen at a Cajun Mardi Gras celebration are called capuchons and are meant to parody the headdresses of France's noble ladies.
• One of the earliest recorded Mardi Gras celebrations believed to have taken place in Southwest Louisiana was on Tuesday, February 21, 1882.
• The first Miss Mardi Gras of Imperial Calcasieu was crowned in 1983 and the title went to Miss Christine Marie Campbell.
• The Royal Gala held on Lundi Gras each year is the only event in the state that allows the public to see the Krewe's Royal Courts in costume.