February 16, 2010

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Despite temperatures falling to the freezing mark overnight and not expected to get much above 50, Mardi Gras in New Orleans is staying hot.

Parades rolled until late Monday night. People partied on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter until much later.

Along historic St. Charles Avenue, revelers stacked ladders, chairs, and roped off areas to watch Tuesday's festivities.

Mardi Gras morning features a variety of marching clubs, including Pete Fountain's "Half Fast Walking Club," which is celebrating its 50th year of parading this year. Then comes the Zulu and Rex parades followed by the truck parade -- a seemingly endless line of 18-wheelers each decorated by a different group.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)