One of the biggest and most anticipated traditions of the Mardi Gras holiday is the Mardi Gras Parade. There have been Mardi Gras parades since the 1700′s, but in recent years they have become bigger and better. The parades are usually organized by a group of people referred to as a Krewe. Each parade is unique to the particular tradtions of the Krewe that is organizing the parade, but all parades elect a King and Queen of the Mardi Gras parade. Obviously, each parade has floats that are designed around the theme selected by the Krewe for that year. Oftentimes the theme will poke fun at certain cultural events. The design and preparation of each float may take hundreds or even thousands of hours. During the parade, the members of the Krewe will get the honor of riding the floats and will toss trinkets such as plastic medallions and coins and strings of beads to the crowds watching the parade. There are also bands and dancers who participate in the parade which add to the festivities.
