Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Shorty Gras

It is customary with most Mardi Gras krewes in New Orleans to have a ball after their parades finish. This year Krewe of Freret set the bar high! After their parade ended on the Uptown parade route, the party started at the first-ever Shorty Gras at Mardi Gras World. You couldn’t ask for a more perfect setting for a Mardi Gras bash. 

This was by far one of the most fun parties that I attended this year during the whole Mardi Gras season. Food and cocktails were flowing and these shows capped a great day of festivities and live music. I have officially added this to my permanent Mardi Gras schedule of events.

Parade Grand Marshal Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews, plus his Orleans Avenue band served as headliners but there was so much more music throughout the night. Big Freedia did a bounce DJ set on top of a float in the ballroom. The Soul Rebels definitely got people moving on the dance floor and Boyfriend brought an all-star cast to her set with Maggie Kroener and my personal favorites The Revivalists.

The Revivalists have dressed up in their curlers with Boyfriend before but the sets are usually late night during Jazz Fest so I was so happy to see these guys together for something special at an earlier hour. Fun was had by all in attendance and I hope this becomes a yearly tradition!

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Amy Harris
Amy Harris is a writer and photographer who has been traveling for 20 years and flown over 2 million miles to visit over 80 countries on 6 continents. She is a freelance photographer for Invision by Associated Press, AP Images and Rex/Shutterstock. Her work can be seen in various publications and websites including: Rolling Stone, AP Images, National Geographic Books, Fodor’s Travel Guides, Forbes.com, Lonely Planet Travel Guides, JetStar magazine, and Delta Sky Magazine.

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