You might be surprised what you will do for cheap plastic beads. And you might be even more surprised what other guys will do for cheap plastic beads! But that's the fun of Mardi Gras, one of the most debaucherous annual events in the country. An event where you can truly let loose and let it all hang out - literally! If you have never done it, really you must at least once in your lifetime. There are very few events in the U.S that rival New Orleans’ carnival of carnal pleasure in numbers alone, let alone the amount of sex in public spaces. To clarify, by public spaces we mostly mean the bars there, not out on the street. Although eagle-eyed observers will see some instances of that going on as well, cops have been cracking down on public nudity in recent years, so be careful of who's around if you're workin' for those beads out on the streets. Most of the man-on-man action goes on in the darker areas of bars like Rawhide and The Phoenix (upstairs at The Eagle) . The festivities actually start about a month earlier, but they reach a fever pitch the weekend leading up to Fat Tuesday when all the college kids come in for the biggest party in the South, so if you can only come for a day or two then this weekend is the time to do it. If you want the full Mardi Gras experience though you are going to want to stick around until Fat Tuesday, the official day of Mardi Gras, when the Quarter erupts with parades, festivities, insane costumes and lots of other madness before it all comes to a sudden and complete stop right at Midnight. For a gayer version of Mardi Gras, book your hotel for Southern Decadence in NOLA over Labor Day Weekend. It’s like Mardi Gras but even more decadent (thus the name) and a whole lot gayer! MORE INFO ON SOUTHERN DECADENCE: https://wickedgayparties.com/party/southern-decadence/366