The Price Of Royalty

Not cheap, but so much fun to be royalty at Mardi Gras time in Louisiana! If you ever wondered how the kings and queens actually got to BE kings and queens of Mardi Gras...well, so did we!

Costumes, luncheons, tickets to balls, annual dues for the Krewe, renting the float, entertainment on the float, or at the ball, insurance, parade throws...they can all add up to more than $50,000 a year in some cases. Yikes! Our friends at NOLA.com have the answer to some of the most frequently asked questions. Each krewe, or Mardi Gras group, chooses an annual theme for its parade, which is then exhibited on their floats, costumes and throws. Some krewes have royalty - kings and queens, and some have celebs taking the helm during their Mardi Gras parade and ball. Some of these organizations are like secret societies, and info is scarce, unless you are a member.

According to a reddit user, dues vary wildly from Krewe to Krewe, especially in New Orleans, where membership for Zulu is $1200, Bacchus is $1100, and Endymion is $1250 the first year, $950 after that. And you have to pay for beads and trinkets for the entire parade route, which aren't cheap. A lot of the Krewes do charitable work throughout the year, so it's not all about throwing wads of cash out for one big blow out party, but doing good works along the way as well.

A run down on costs for the Mobile Mardi Gras parades comes from AL.com, and the costs, even a couple of years ago, are pretty shocking.

Floats:  $53,000

Float Barn: $39,400

Costumes: $32,000

Insurance for the Parade: $4,800

Horses: $3,200

Truck rental for pulling the floats: $715

Drivers for the Float: $1,105

Float security,emergency road service,  banner carriers, and generator rental:$2,670

Beads and trinkets: $500 per float rider

You can start saving now for next year......