Mardi Gras Celebration for Kids

If you have little ones, chances are you won’t be celebrating on Bourbon Street this Mardi Gras season—but that doesn’t mean you should let the party pass you by. Here are three ways to bring the bayou home and throw a kid-friendly Fat Tuesday party everyone can enjoy:

• Merry Masks: Cover the family table with butcher's paper and turn it into a Mardi Gras creation station complete with glue, scissors, and jars of small pom-poms, glitter, ribbons, feathers, paint and markers. Present kids with blank paper or plastic masquerade masks (easily found at craft stores) and let them decorate their masks as they please. Then let them decorate the "tablecloth" in the traditional Mardi Gras colors: purple, gold and green.
• King Cake: Bake a brightly iced New Orleans style King Cake complete with a little baby hidden inside. The tradition is whoever receives the piece with the baby gets to be king for the day—or in this case, the party! Let little ones help by mixing a simple glaze to drizzle over the cake then decorate with green, purple and yellow sanding sugar.
• Set the Bourbon Street Scene: Make your home as vibrant as the French Quarter in New Orleans by covering walls with metallic wrapping papers, draping feather boas over mantle pieces and placing Mardi Gras beads throughout the party rooms. We also suggest setting the mood with some “down by the bayou” jazz music and perhaps a kid-friendly movie such as The Princess and the Frog.

For Mardi Gras recipes both you and your little guests will adore, consult our festive New Orleans inspired menu below.

—By Emily Arno

Muffuletta Sandwich

A New Orleans classic sandwich, Muffulettas are a perfect choice for a lunch-time crowd.

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Seafood Gumbo

Enough gumbo for a party, and it’s always a party when there’s gumbo.

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Bananas Foster

Try this classic dessert based on a Brennan’s Restaurant favorite.

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