Endymion Extravaganza

This is, in my opinion, the best formal Mardi Gras ball of the year.
It takes place in the Superdome, with tables both in the upper levels and on the floor, close to the main stage. As others have mentioned, tickets can only be purchased through a krewe member, so you may have a hard time getting in if you’re an out-​of-​towner with no connections. The best way to do the Extravaganza is to get with a group of people and share a table. Cups, ice, mixers, and popcorn are provided. You can either buy food through Centerplate (Superdome caterer) or bring in your own; same goes with alcohol. I’d recommend bringing in your own because Centerplate tends to be overpriced and crappy, but keep in mind that if you do that you’ll be lugging around a cooler/​Popeyes boxes/​Manny Randazzos king cakes for a while.
The parade ends inside the Superdome, and I’ve found that riders are much more generous/​anxious to get rid of whatever throws they have left over, so if you are counting on getting a signature throw you’ve probably got a better shot at the Extravaganza than along the regular route. The special effects inside the dome are absolutely beautiful and stunning, given that they’re using the Superdome equipment. Endymion always gets great headliners for the ball; this year it was Pitbull & Steven Tyler, last year it was Luke Bryan. The special effects and headliners are what set Endymion apart from other balls, like Orpheuscapade.
If given the chance, you should definitely GO. Drink coffee/​Red Bull beforehand; the drinking and dancing goes till 4 AM.

Just do it!
There’s nothing like watching a parade and catching throws in your formal gear while listening to live music.
If you are afforded the opportunity, go. This is a unique experience and one you will never forget.
As a kid, I remember marching through the Superdome at the end of Endymion parade. We were cheered on and watched in grand form. Back then, I took mental note and said one day I would experience it from the other lens.
This year’s featured entertainment was Pitbull and Steven Tyler (featuring Aerosmith). And while both were great, I love the band from Atlanta who also play a few sets.
Bring your dancing shoes and energy because the party does not stop until 4am.

What an experience! Seriously. Just some more general info that hasn’t been covered:
Tickets/​seating: purchase through someone you know on the krewe. It’s nice because you can sit together on a table. Seating is super organized. I would recommend getting there before the parade starts since you will have a hard time getting to where you need to go/​will have to walk the perimeter of the Superdome if you wait. There’s a VIP area that has food and toilets near the front stage. I’m sure those tickets are mondo expensive!
What to bring:
— Your own bag to bring home goodies if you’d like a second (they give you one as you walk in). We easily filled up 2x bags within 3 floats! The catches will be perfect for upcoming arts and crafts projects!
— General seating: EtOH and snacks. They provide ice, soda, and popcorn. We brought stuff that we could finish and leave. Other people were very smart and brought coolers on wheels (also good for hauling your booty back home!).
— For the ladies: flat shoes. Mostly to avoid rolling your ankles in heels on the beads that litter the floor.
Hint: the smartest person I saw there was wearing a decorated hard hat! We saw another girl with a bleeding forehead from chucked beads. Keep your eyes on the floats so you don’t get pelted.
Overall, it was crazy, fun, and amazing. There are tons of different places you can enjoy the parade from. So you can catch throws or just sit back and relax. Definitely a highlight of our Mardi Gras celebrations this year. Hope we can go again!

The Endymion Extravaganza is, by far, the best place to catch the parade if you are lucky enough to have a front row seat. If not, your experience will vary.
Tickets
Tickets for the Extravaganza are very expensive and can only be purchased through a krewe member. You would think this would add a level of exclusivity and class to the event, but you would be wrong. My guess is many people are guests of others and don’t pay a dime so they behave accordingly.
Layout
There was a VIP area, VIP bunkers and regular tables for this event. On the floor the main area with tables was in the center of the dome barricaded off from the parade route. The tables closest to the barricades were the best, but all of these tables had one major issue. The only bathrooms for the event were on the outside of this area meaning a long trek across the parade route to pee. When the parade was going on you could only cross during a gap in the floats and that didn’t happen frequently enough. If you can afford it, the bunker areas are the way to go. They have free food, bathrooms and are a little more exclusive than the main table area. The bathroom alone is worth the extra $ 80 or so a ticket cost.
Parade
This is the best reason to come to the ball. Sure they have «world class» music acts, but the parade is hard to beat. The parade began with a steady stream of police and Shriner motorcycles which was cool, but deafening. Next up was the marching bands which each paused near the VIP tables to perform. It amazed me how much energy these groups had after having already marched several miles. After those two groups came the parade. If you were able to get close to the front, you could catch more beads, trinkets and other throws than you ever imagined. The riders truly save all of their good stuff for the Extravaganza and it showed. As each float pulled into the dome, all you could see was a constant stream of stuff being thrown from the sides. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced. The night went downhill from there.
Music
The opening bands weren’t bad, but they played a lot of the same songs. Most of their set was top 40 which they did a great job of, but most people wanted to see the main act. This year’s big star was Carrie Underwood. I had no idea how popular she was until she started playing and the crowds surged towards the stage. I saw grown people crying over some of the songs, but she didn’t do anything for me. I guess she is supposed to be a country star, but I would have taken George Strait over her any day.
People
The crowd an the gamut from local celebrities, the ultra wealthy all the way to the lowest common denominator. I saw people fighting over beads, drunks vomiting all over the floor and run of the mill bad behavior. At some point the event turned from a fun parade/​concert atmosphere into a scene from the walking dead. By the end of the concerts the floor in the dome looked like Bourbon Street at 3 a.m. It was so disgusting that when I left I had to pull up my pant legs to avoid any getting on my clothes.
As of this writing, I will most likely not be back next year, but time has a way of making you forget the bad. This event really has potential so if you can get in a bunker, or at least get a table by the barricades, it may be worth the price.

To continue the theme, Endymion!
Music, drink, food, loot, bright lights, Mardi Gras. What wasn’t to like?
The Rodriguez Family showed us a good time. They always do. I don’t think they know what an average evening is. They found this and latched on. So did we.
The theme was A Night at the Opera. This was far from an opera! You just can’t take it all in. Typical NOLA Mardi Gras. If Rio is bigger and better, I’m sure I’d have to witness it to confirm.
If you haven’t done this, do it. You won’t regret!

What a blast! We were invited to Join the Rodriguez family at this event. All dressed up in our finest evening wear, we trekked to the Super Dome. The venue was gloriously decorated and barely resembled the football stadium.
The staff were attentive to our every need. They kept our ice and mixers readily available. Even when some guy tipped our cooler over, they took care of it assuring it us that it was no problem.
The opening acts were rocking! They kept us moving until the parade started. The parade! No words for how awesome it was. 2 hours of flying beads, blinkies, and novelties.
Next up was Carrie Underwood. A full concert!
We were exhausted but had an unforgettable time.