Yardi Gras Brings Mardi Gras Celebrations Home

With the cancellation of many facets of Mardi Gras 2021, New Orleanians were forced to get creative in order to maintain their time-honored tradition. And thus, Yardi Gras was born.

Yardi Gras is exactly what it sounds like. Mardi Gras, but with yards. Because there are no traditional parades, there are no floats to be made. So, local artists from all across New Orleans celebrate by turning homes into “house floats.” New Orleans-based photographer Laura Steffan captures the creativity and soul of these homes for HGTV.

“New Orleanians usually decorate their homes for Mardi Gras, but not on this amplified level,” says Laura. The decorated homes truly are impressive and closely resemble the usual floats. Which makes sense, because many of the stunning decorations are actually the work of talented Mardi Gras artists.

“There are mostly DIY house floats all over the city using homemade items and decorations from local shops and merchants. Others have been created using the talents of out-of-work Mardi Gras artists who typically design and build decorations for floats,” notes Laura. This has resulted in remarkable displays of talent all across the city bringing joy to those mourning the cancellation of Mardi Gras.