Pandemic transforms homes into Mardi Gras floats

• New Orleans couple thought of a creative way to celebrate Mardi Gras, pandemic style.
• Rene and Inez Pierre, who own float-building business Crescent City Artists, thought of converting porches and yards into Mardi Gras floats so people can still be festive despite the pandemic.
• The couple did not expect a surge of requests from people who wanted to transform their porches into themed floats, with so far 52 orders and still counting.

The coronavirus pandemic has indeed caused a standstill — people kept out of the streets, businesses shut down, and events cancelled, to name a few. But New Orleans’ 2021 Mardi Gras begs to differ.

This year, New Orleans residents are counting on their own creativity and resourcefulness to keep the Mardi Gras vibe going. They transformed their very own porches into themed parade floats to celebrate Mardi Gras — pandemic style.

In fact, husband-and-wife team Rene and Inez Pierre who usually create parade floats for Mardi Gras went a little extra when they thought of building these dreamy, fantastical porch and yard floats, so people can still celebrate and be festive at the comfort and safety of their own homes.

“I was heartbroken when the mayor canceled Mardi Gras, but I also understand that life is more important,” Inez said.

Apart from the cancelled fun, the couple admitted that they somehow got worried as this would also mean a dent in their financial status.

Through their own float-building business Crescent City Artists, they would charge around $45,000 for each carnival float. However, with the current virus lockdowns, they expected no floats are going to be made this year.

Rene and Inez never thought people would still be up for it, when they started to get massive inquiries and orders on porch and yard floats in exchange for the regular carnival floats — after a first successful order just before Christmas.

“We are up to 52 porch floats,” Inez said, “we have maybe 10 more to complete and we have a waiting list for next year.”

The couple, apart from the creativity they put into their creations, made these efforts to be a statement of gratitude. They even came up with a Dolly Parton-themed float that honors the country singer’s $1 million donation to COVID-19 vaccine research.

Source: Good News Network