New Orleans To Receive Maximum Assistance From The Government For Mardi Gras

According to Cantrell, her office has been requesting that the federal government increase New Orleans' threat level since 2019, but the federal government only agreed to bump the Mardi Gras season's security threat from a level two to its most serious level after the attack on New Year's Day

The City of New Orleans will be receiving the most support possible from the federal government for Mardi Gras, the same level of support it will receive when it hosts the Super Bowl in February. The city has also made some adjustments to its rules, and its schedule, for the party that has become synonymous with the Crescent City.

According to NOLA.com, following the tragic attack on New Year’s Day, the Biden Administration granted the City of New Orleans’ request for extra assistance, and on Jan. 6, Mayor LaToya Cantrell indicated that the Department of Homeland Security designated the city’s Carnival celebration a “level one event.”

Per Homeland Security officials, that rating, which is applied to the Super Bowl each year, is assigned to “significant events with national or international importance that require extensive federal interagency support.”

According to Cantrell, her office has been requesting that the federal government increase New Orleans’ threat level since 2019, but the federal government only agreed to bump the Mardi Gras season’s security threat from a level two to its most serious level after the attack on New Year’s Day.

That attack also forced the bowl game between Penn State and Oregon, originally scheduled for New Year’s Day, to be played on Jan. 2, with additional security measures.

“We’ve been asking. But as of yesterday…it’s been officially granted,” Cantrell said at a press conference marking the beginning of Carnival season at Mardi Gras World. “So we know for Mardi Gras 2025, it’s going to be the safest ever. What we will not do is bow down. What we will not do is be sad. We’re going to be real examples of who this city is and what she means to the world.”

In addition to the financial assistance from the federal government, Cantrell also requested a review from a “tactical expert” to conduct a full assessment of the city’s security plans and potential vulnerabilities and to evaluate a set of bollards New Orleans was in the process of installing when the attack on Bourbon Street occurred.

New Orleans is also making their own changes to its protocols for its Mardi Gras season and the Mardi Gras celebration itself, per NOLA.com.

Over the years, several complaints about the safety of street corners have persisted, and this year, tents, tarps, viewing platforms, sofas, gas generators, or any items with open flames, such as charcoal barbecue grills and propane powered grills, have been banned from parade routes.

In addition, all krewes participating in the festivities have to provide the New Orleans Police Department with a full list of their lineups, including floats, bands, and other features.

Krewes are also banned from throwing confetti, using confetti cannons, and giving beads with symbols out except for beads with the crew’s symbols on them. Toilet paper throwing has also been banned during the parade, with the notable exception of the Krewe of Tucks.

According to Biz New Orleans, at the Kings Day Celebration, Rex official James J. Reiss III offered remarks that included acknowledgment of the tragedy and triumph of the City of New Orleans.

“Reflecting on the last few days, we, the parading captains, are reminded of the twin masks representing tragedy and comedy, one crying, and one laughing, often a symbol of Mardi Gras in New Orleans,” Reiss said. “We, the people of New Orleans, are wearing both. One mask as we look backward in mournful remembrance following the tragedy of early New Year’s Day.”

Reiss continued, “The other mask as we move forward in celebration of life, liberty, and our freedoms as New Orleanians and as Americans. In the face of this horrific event we, the krewes parading through New Orleans, dedicate our 35 parades, the centerpiece of our city’s Carnival celebration, to those who lost their lives and the loved ones they have left behind. While we know that it may not change the gravity of their loss, we are hopeful that this small gesture sheds some light on how we New Orleanians feel about our freedoms and why we celebrate, even in the face of such enormous tragedy, and we hope that it lets the families of those lost know that we wish to celebrate the memory of the joy and love those 14 souls brought to them while they were here.”