Theresa's Mixed Nuts: Yardi Gras 2021

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

Yardi Gras 2021

The traditional Mardi Gras was obviously canceled this year. No parties, no parades, nada where large gatherings were concerned. Instead, they decided to throw Yardi Gras. In lieu of parade floats, the good people of NOLA were invited to decorate their yards like you would see on the parade floats, yet people could visit them at their leisure. This way, visitors could still get a feel for Mardi Gras while maintaining safe social distancing practices. And I'll tell you, the residents of NOLA did not disappoint in their creativity. I'm going to show you some of my favorites, and there were A LOT, so this is going to be a PHOTO HEAVY post. If you aren't into pics, that's your fair warning to move along. For those of you that are, I hope you enjoy seeing the party through my lens. 

We'll start with the smaller homes. And smaller does not mean not as good, because I absolutely loved the creativity that went into a lot of the displays.This modern take on a Hansel and Gretel house was quite charming. I loved how they used paper lanterns and pool noodles to create a whimsical Candyland vibe.

This house didn't have a lot of yard to work with, but they maximized every inch to its fullest potential.

Coronavirus was the theme for many of the displays. This take on Margaritaville was quite clever! 

There were a few other Covid themed that were clever as well:

 This street all banded together and did a Lego theme on each of their houses:



My favorite: The Chanel House! I kinda want to live here year round LOL!



These people here had a fun display and were the only ones passing out beads. We each took a necklace from the post and I think it made the homeowners day because he gave us a big wave from his window. It made our day, too! :)



And, it was where we first learned about King Cake, which is a huge thing at Mardi Gras. Sadly, we weren't able to find a single slice, which was my only disappointment on this trip.

And thrown into the mix for the hell of it, a funky little car to boot. 


We were going to head back to our hotel after an exhausting day of walking all of NOLA checking out the decorated houses, but on the way back I read that there was a Schitt's Creek house and made Kyle detour so I could check it out. 



I loved how the spirit of Mardi Gras touched all walks of life. You didn't need to have a fancy setup to get in the spirit. This broke house float got  a good belly laugh from me, plus they featured the Christmas Story Leg Lamp, so bonus points to them!


As fun as those little houses were, if you wanted shock and awe, the Garden District was where the party was at!

The place (could have been a music school?) was HUGE as were their floats, so I couldn't get it all in one shot.




Unicorns...



And more unicorns...


Down at the bayou. We actually stumbled upon this one after dark and put a pin on maps to come back during the day to see it again.



Sticking to The Garden District..


And now for the cream of the crop. Big money designs to blow visitors away. Totally worth the wait...



A circus. These people had a huge circus setup. This one was my favorite in the Garden District:


And the star of Yardi Gras... freakin' dinosaurs!







And if you've made it this far, a couple of night shots, because why not?







Which Yardi Gras house was your favorite?



 







20 comments:

  1. I think I'd have headaches there just by looking through the window LOL But I do like the dinosaurs!

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    1. Poor Dezzy would not love NOLA. We will have to put you in a stepford wives kind of neighborhood so you can keep your sanity when looking out the window LOL.

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    2. I'm totally Bree van de Kamp, so I'd find a Stepford wives block a total bliss, methinks LOL

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    3. I'm more of a hot mess like Teri Hatcher's character. I'd drive you insane if we were neighbors LOL

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  2. First, what the heck? You’ve never heard of King Cake? We have it every year, often making it ourselves. I’ve got my little plastic baby in my kitchen drawer. I think I was introduced to it in junior high, in French class. In France, they have the cake on King’s Day (Epiphany). It’s yum!

    I enjoyed your tour, so thank you! The circus house is really grand, but I also love the Coronaville House. Very creative and I’m always a sucker for island themed anything, Love those virus balls!

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    1. Yeah, I must live under a rock or something. I've studied french and have been to France but don't know how Kind Cake eluded me. I'll have to make my own for Mardi Gras this year and hope I get the recipe right!

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  3. What fun sounds and looks this Mardi grass tour Theresa, all very creatives!! hugs

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  4. What a great way to turn lemons into lemonade! I would argue that it's even better than a float, because at least the houses are stationary, so you can enjoy them as long as you like.

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  5. How fun! Seeing all those houses decorated would be right up my alley. My fave is the first unicorn house.

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  6. All of those yard decorations are great. Very fun.

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  7. I like Candy Land, the van all decked out, and the bird. At first I thought the bird was Kevin from the movie Up! How fun.

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  8. This is such a creative idea and a great way to celebrate Corona style. This is another version of the New Normal that I can totally get with. The unicorn people were FREAKY. That's one house I'd walk by just a little bit faster. I may be partial, but my favorite was The Little Mermaid. The block with Lego themed homes is also fun.

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  9. Those dinos must've cost a fortune. Love the butterfly too.

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  10. Sure a great way to do it. The time and effort makes me tired thinking about it. Awesome displays though. Kiddos sure would get a kick out of the dinosaur one. Lego ones sure synced up too.

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  11. Several were my favorite. The virus on the fence made me laugh out loud though. I'm sure people in NOLA were feeling it. It's messed up their traditional Mardis Gras again! Love that the residents went all out to celebrate anyway!

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  12. I like the van one the best. How cool is that!?!

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