Mardi Gras Costume Ideas

By Rain Blanken, About.com Guide

The whole atmosphere of Carnival rings with a courtly theme. There are jesters, queens (and drag queens), street performers and the old fashioned past time of drinking till dawn. In the center of the storm is Rex, King of Carnival. I like to think that Rex is to Mardi Gras as Santa is to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. He's the joyful, decadent spirit behind all the revelry.

Ol' King Rex presides over the Rex Parade, the daytime procession of over-the-top floats that delight children and often greet me in my nightmares. Try out a royal costume by incorporating crowns, capes and boots. Here, Robert Monsted, Jr. portrays Rex in 2011.

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