Thursday, February 16th there are all kinds of events to kick off Mardi Gras beginning with the Special Blackout Party at Rawhide from 9:00 PM until 5:00 AM. At 11:00 PM Good Friends will be hosting their annual USDA Aged Prime Beef Contest where the contestant must be at least thirty-five years old. The winner of this event will take home $100.00 in cash. What kind of contest is this, you will have to come by and see for yourself. Also at midnight Cafe Lafitte will hold their 13th Annual "Dick of Mardi Gras" Contest. The winner here will walk away with anywhere from $200 to $700 depending on how large the crowd is. There is a $5.00 door charge to the Balcony Bar, where the contest is being held, 50% of that money goes to the winner and the rest is split 30% going to 2nd & 20% going to 3rd place. There have been winner's that have walked away with more than $800.00.

This is just the first night of Carnival. Remember, the Fruit Loop is the place to be and be seen, the party is in the street so there is no need waste your money on a week long pass just get into a bar and buy a drink.

The Twelth Annual Mascara Drag Weekend is coming Memorial Day weekend.  This is the Fruit Loops annual fund raiser for the NOCCA Institute which funds NOAAC Riverfront.  This is a high school specializing in the arts from drama to music to ceramics and beyond.  It is a state of the art complex and has developed hundreds, if not thousands, of great  talents...

Southern Decadence weekend is August 29th thru September 3rd and is the largest gay street party in the United States if not the world.  Every year more than 100,000 gay men and women descend on the streets of the French Quarter to celebrate the gay life style. This year's theme is "Viva New Orleans: What Happens in New Orleans."