Head to Maskarade for Southern Decadence

Mardi Gras is half a year away, but the flashy celebration is hardly the only occasion for flaunting the most outrageous masks in New Orleans. There’s Halloween, of course, just around the corner (next month), and a national excuse for all to disguise themselves, but there’s also Southern Decadence. Hosted every year during Labor Day weekend (plenty of time to prepare for next year!), Southern Decadence is the highlight of the New Orleans LGBTQ+ calendar, serving as a de facto pride celebration and, as throughout the country, is increasingly popular with mainstream crowds.

While it may not be quite the masquerade Mardi Gras is, the Southern Decadence parade is certainly a flamboyant occasion and you’ll find plenty of feathers and sequins, including on elaborate masks like the ones seen on Fat Tuesday. Of course you could just grab any old mask from a checkout counter, and maybe even bedazzle it a bit yourself, but if you want to support the local economy, take home a fabulous souvenir that doubles as art, and positively steal the show at Southern Decadence, head to Maskarade on St. Ann Street.

Maskarade does sell some generic masks you can find elsewhere, but it specializes in showcasing one-of-a-kind creations from local artists, and you won’t find more dedicated mask makers in any other city this side of Venice. Masks here come in all budgets, encompassing a variety of materials and styles from hyper-realistic to utterly fantastical and if you have a particular look in mind but don’t see a matching mask on display, chances are good Maskarade can connect you to an artist from the store whose style you love, and you may just be able to commission a custom design of your own imagination.