Mardi Gras -9yr- Mardi Gras Beads

Mardi Gras Party My daughter's birthday is March 1st.  Because the date of Mardi Gras changes every year it sometimes falls on her birthday.  For her 9th birthday we had a "Krewe of Lou" parade party.  (Lou is her nickname.) 

Invitations instructed the girls to bring their favorite mode of transportation (bike, scooter or roller blades).  I set up the following stations:

Float decorating - girls decorated their vehicles with crepe paper streamers.

Masks - girls made glitter and feather masks using glue sticks and tape.

King Cakes - each girl decorated a mini king cake to take home.  I made these by untwisting jumbo sized cinnamon rolls and baking each in a circular shape.  The girls decorated them with white powdered sugar icing and colored sugar.

Beads - each girl chose a selection of Mardi Gras beads from my "bead tree" (a converted coat stand) and adorned themselves and their vehicles. 

After all the floats were decorated and lined up in our back yard, we had king cake and the opened presents.  Parents were instructed to arrive 15 minutes before the end of the party to watch our sidewalk parade, complete with Mardi Gras music, led by "Queen Aimee". 

Everyone had a blast and Aimee gave each of the girls a parting gift of a small porcelain Mardi Gras mask labeled "Krewe of Lou on the back side.  I ordered most of the craft supplies and decorations in bulk from a party supply house.  The parade theme could be modified for any holiday or special event if you are looking for a distinctive party that isn't close to Mardi Gras.