Northshore Mardi Gras Guide

January 8th King’s Day Parade and Party. 2PM. Mandeville Lakefront. Event features the Mandeville Milkshakers. Celebration afterwards at the Mandeville Trailhead. For more information, please see the event page. St. John’s Fools of Misrule. 6PM. A Twelfth Night Marching Club they march in the streets of downtown Covington beginning at the Columbia Street Tap Room.…

This year’s King Cake Guide is brought to you by Rapid Urgent Care, open seven days a week, three hundred and sixty-five days a year–even holidays. Editor’s Note: this post is updated for 2022. Most of the time I’ve been able to confirm that the information is correct, but please call in advance before you…

  Carnival season is in full swing. We’re in that tiny lull between the first weekend of parades and when things really kick into high gear. At 4 years old, my twins are Mardi Gras pros, having been to parades since they were just shy of 4 months old, and we’ve picked up a few…

If you’ve ever attempted to bake your own gluten free pastries, you know it can be quite challenging. Ingredients often don’t react in the same ways they would in typical baking, and good gluten-free baking typically requires a cocktail of special additives that most bakers, even experienced ones, are unfamiliar with. Whey protein isolate? Tapioca…

This post is updated for 2022. If you see something that needs correcting or have some place to add, please leave us a comment or email katy@northshoreparent.com. Every year a lot of people ask us about gluten free king cakes. It’s not surprising, many people these days are avoiding gluten for a variety of reasons…

As I continue my mission to spend this Mardi Gras season trying out the Mardi Gras cocktails offered across the north shore, my friends and I checked out Reginellis and the Lakehouse this week, each with just one Mardi Gras drink on the menu.  First up was the King Cake Cocktail at Reginellis. With Fireball,…

As part of running this site I make it my business to try a lot of different Northshore King Cakes. I’ve had king cake cheesecake, the ooey-gooey king cake from Lola, the award-winning cakes from Sugar Love and the Cocoa Bean in Hammond, french-style king cakes and more. I recently spotted my first-ever chocolate king…

As I continue my new mission to spend this Mardi Gras season trying out the Mardi Gras cocktails offered across the north shore, I stopped by Bistro Byronz. Twice.  I heard there was an extensive menu and I wanted to make sure to try out a few of the options with my friends. We didn’t…

South Louisiana is known for a wide variety of delicious food: muffalettas, boiled crawfish, grilled oysters, po boys of all varieties, and more. This time of year, however, we are generally focused on just one of our favorites: king cake! (we will soon flip over to crawfish). Long-time, family-owned grocery store, Acquistapace’s in Covington has…

It’s Mardi Gras time y’all!  It’s one of my favorite seasons and while it may be different this year, I refuse to let the season slide by without notice. Typically, this time of year, I’m pretty busy with all of the planning and functions for the parade in which I participate. But with a much…

Every year a few brave bakers put themselves out there and try something new. This year, the king cake that caught my eye was the very unusual-looking Mardi Gras Medley King Cake served at Maple Street Bakery in Abita Springs. If you’re never been to Maple Street Bakery, you should definitely check it out. It’s…

When everyone else is singing that it’s the most wonderful time of the year at Christmas, I’m counting down the days until 12th Night when my most wonderful time of the year begins. Mardi Gras is my Christmas. I love everything about Carnival time, but I especially look forward to that first slice of king…

Having a great idea can be exciting, but Sierra of Sugar Love Cakes in Slidell had a great idea that she couldn’t share with anyone. She wanted to wait until she had her own bakery to reveal it, and that dream was several years in the making. She pulled it off, though, and last year…

Just imagine: a spread of king cakes from all your favorite places, sliced and waiting to be enjoyed. Your closest friends and family mingle, laughing, occasionally dancing, and, of course, eating. The distinct horns of “Mardi Gras Mambo” occasionally cut through the chatter, while the littlest guests play parade in the backyard. Doesn’t a king…

This post contains affiliate links. We love Mardi Gras and we also love to support local businesses. We decided to combine the two and show you some of our favorite finds on Etsy with a Mardi Gras feel. First on the list are these adorable fleece vests in purple, green, and gold. We have some…

Now a good number of us love king cake. And when this time of year rolls around we make sure to get our fair share or maybe even more than our fair share! And while I love a good traditional king cake (just ask the folks at Mandeville Bake Shop), that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t…

Dong Phuong Your selfie game is on point. Your instagram is gorgeous. You are the first of your friends to try a new restaurant when it opens. You may be in a Mardi Gras Krewe but not one of the old lines. You could be a 10th generation New Orleanian or a recent transplant. You’re…

We’re in the home stretch! From now til Mardi Gras day there are non-stop parades somewhere. As the big day approaches your friends’ true colors will show, and we’ve noticed some patterns. Here we present seven types of moms you see during Carnival Season. Do you see your friends? Or yourself? All Dem Parades Mom…

As we approach the peak of the Mardi Gras sesason, you might start to hear a little debate: do you prefer Endymion or Bacchus? Are you more of a Nyx person or Muses? These are, of course, silly arguments. There are so many wonderful parades in our area this time of year–why pick? But there…

“America has only three cities: New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans. Everywhere else is Cleveland.” – Tennessee Williams I was born two days after Mardi Gras. A Mardi Gras where my parents stood on St. Charles Ave, my mom nine months pregnant. We did pretty much the same thing for almost every single year…

It’s almost time to put away King Cake for another year, but that didn’t stop me from ordering one from the winners of our Northshore’s Best King Cake Content, Precious Pastries.  Prior to our contest, I had never heard of Precious Pastries, so it was a bit of a surprise when an unknown took home…

A million years ago, before I had children, I attended a party on Thoth Sunday, that also happened to fall on Valentine’s Day. I made cupcakes for the party and, due to a late start and large crowds, and the party moving in between Thoth and Bacchus, I hauled a cupcake carrier of about 2 dozen…

Every year, I say I’m just going to make one, maybe two new things for Mardi Gras for my little ones to wear. And, as the big day draws closer, I find myself surrounded by glitter and sequins, in a furious attempt to make everything purple, green and gold, to make just one more thing.…

Parades are upon us! My personal favorite, Push Mow, is this Saturday, and there are pretty much non-stop parades in the city from this weekend until Mardi Gras day. We’ve given you lots of tips on how to take your kids to the parades, but now we’ve got some ideas and even some free downloads…

If you’re from New Orleans you know that THIS is real most-wonderful time of the year. A city-wide celebration that lasts for two weeks, involves no obligatory gift giving, and no long dinners with boring relatives. Does it get better than that? I don’t think so. Mother Nature doesn’t take holidays, however, and some people will…

Mardi Gras 2014 has come and gone. Most of us spent the day indoors thanks to unwanted cold and rain that followed a most beautiful, ideal weather weekend. I must admit, the weather had me upset. I imagine that when I have a child, the little guy will be coming out with a mask and…

You may have noticed that it’s cold. I know. Right now our little one is inside and not feeling up to parading. If you’re doing the same, here’s a great craft you can do with the kids to commemorate Mardi Gras 2015. We used washable ink pads, but washable paint could be used just as…