I was in my Airbnb when I heard what sounded like a marching band. Wait, what? I wandered outside, looked down the block, and thought I saw cheerleaders. So I grabbed the phone camera and headed out to investigate. It turned out to be the staging area for the Sugar Bowl Parade! Everyone was parked on Elysian Fields Ave. waiting for the 3 pm start time. (The parade had been moved back because of the apocalyptic downpour earlier in the day.)

I was dimly aware of the Sugar Bowl, and I didn’t realize there was a parade! So I walked the line of floats and ended up at the front just as everyone started walking. People on the floats throw stuff to the crowd! Coffee, coins, and SO MANY Mardi Gras beads. These are all the beads I caught. If you look closely, you’ll see that the red strand thrown by the Alabama Crimson Tide team are little footballs.
Alabama went on to win the Sugar Bowl (which I know because I just Googled it). They certainly brought the spirit with lots of “Roll Tide”s being shouted.
Kansas State brought the flash–their marching band led the parade, and they seemed LEGIT.
The Mardi Gras World float.
I thought I saw cheerleaders!
The Mande Milkshakers.
The children’s hospital float.
Some marching band action!
By