In one of America's favorite party hotspots, residents and business owners say the stench of trash and bad decisions is being scrubbed clean like never before.

Hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets of New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras, leaving the city covered in detritus.

Whether you're looking for 25-cent martinis at Brennan’s of Houston or free king cake and crawfish at Social Junkie, there's something for everyone!

Chef Carl Walker, general manager with Brennan's of Houston, shares how to make their seasonal Louisiana Crawfish Cheesecake for your Mardi Gras celebration.

if you’re heading down to NRG for Rodeo Cook Off any time for the rest of the week, the weather will cooperate.

if you’re heading down to NRG for Rodeo Cook Off any time for the rest of the week, the weather will cooperate.

The 2025 Carnival Season -- marked by a weekslong pre-Lenten bash and complete with colorful parades, shimmery beads tossed from floats and streets lined with costumed revelers -- is reaching its conclusion on the Gulf Coast.

Temperatures slowly climb this weekend too

Mardi Gras in Galveston is drawing large crowds, prompting increased security measures by local law enforcement.

Rain chances are in the forecast for your weekend festivities

Rounds of rain with the heaviest falling on Sunday

A gradual warm-up across SE Texas comes with shower and storms chances Saturday and Sunday.

The heart of the Arctic blast settles in Thursday morning

The City of Galveston said to discourage people from parking overnight on the seawall in the days leading up to Mardi Gras, there will be a $250 citation fee.

February in Houston offers a vibrant array of events, including theatrical performances, concerts, and cultural celebrations.

Whether you’re throwing a party or searching for the tiny hidden baby to claim good luck, Three Brothers’ king cakes are the perfect way to celebrate the season.

A woman who was shot and killed in a murder-suicide inside a Westchase apartment complex leasing office has been identified.

Celebrate the 'spirit' of Mardi Gras with cocktails that will transport you to the heart of New Orleans.

It’s a beloved Carnival season tradition in New Orleans — masked riders on lavish floats fling strings of beads or other trinkets to parade watchers.

Common Bond has once again partnered with Sky High for Kids and Texas Children's Hospital to bring smiles to the faces of young warriors battling cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

New Orleans’ annual Carnival celebration has entered its high-intensity home stretch with a beefed-up police presence and a weather-scrambled parade schedule.

Severe & flood threat early Saturday morning

It’s Carnival season in New Orleans and that means the morning lines outside popular bakeries are long and the pace inside is brisk to meet customer demand for king cake.

Safely stream your favorite content wherever you are with GetFlix, now only $50

Click2Pins.com is where we find the photos that are making your life what it is in Southeast Texas.

Laissez le bon temps rouler!

The New Orleans police chief says a teenager died and four other people were wounded — including a 4-year-old girl — when gunfire broke out during a Mardi Gras parade Sunday night.

A winter feel holds on through Saturday

The KPRC 2 production crew were hard at work on Saturday preparing for the exclusive broadcast of the Knights of Momus Grand Night Parade on Galveston’s Seawall as part of Mardi Gras Galveston.

A winter feel holds on through Saturday

It’s Mardi Gras Galveston time.

Celebrity Chef Kevin Belton is a cookbook author recognized as one of the top Louisiana chefs, He is teaming up with Zatarain’s to share his favorite Mardi Gras recipes.

The two-weekend event includes parades, live entertainment, Electric Mardi Gras, balcony parties and all the best food and drinks you could ever dream up.

Anyone who has been to Mardi Gras in Galveston knows how much fun it can be, but with all the parades, live entertainment and food, it can be difficult to decide what to do during this two-day event.

Thousands of people will flock to the island this weekend for all the Mardi Gras fun in Galveston.

Hello Houston!

Breezy colder weather is on the way

COVID-19 precautions wiped out most New Orleans’ Mardi Gras festivities in 2021, and a shortage of police officers forced the city to shorten routes for some of its lavish seasonal parades in 2022.

One of Mardi Gras’ signature carnival krewes will be led this year by actor and comedian Adam Devine.

Ten months after Hurricane Ida damaged a museum celebrating New Orleans' African American parading culture, the Backstreet Cultural Museum is reopening.

The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a man who jumped overboard from a cruise ship as it approached Florida.

See some of the best images captured of the Mardi Gras! Galveston Parade from Feb. 26, 2022.

Houston billionaire and Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta showed KPRC 2 inside his luxurious new yacht he docked in Galveston around Mardi Gras.

Party-minded people dressed in traditional purple, green and gold filled New Orleans' streets for the city's first full-dress Mardi Gras since the coronavirus pandemic began.

KPRC 2

Galveston Island is a treasure trove of adventures, especially around Mardi Gras season.

We are officially in the thick of Mardi Gras! Galveston now, and if you know anything at all about it, you’re aware that there is SO MUCH to do.

Drink up Houston! It’s that time again! Margarita Day is Feb. 22.

Break out the beads! Mardi Gras is back in Galveston!

No one does Mardi Gras like Galveston, and with the season upon us, one lucky winner will get the ultimate experience

In February, Texas’ largest Mardi Gras celebration, Mardi Gras! Galveston, returns after a break in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Galveston is gearing up for its 111th annual Mardi Gras celebration, which will be held Feb. 18 through March 1, 2022. The event is expected to attract more than 350,000 attendees and will offer several different activities, from balcony bashes and live concerts to elegant balls and parades.

Parade-loving New Orleans is getting its groove back.

Sri Lanka halted passenger trains and buses for four days as authorities imposed a fresh travel ban across the country, in its latest efforts to curb the escalating number of COVID-19 infections and deaths.

Crime crackdown in Miami Beach has some wondering if Black visitors are being targetedMIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Florida’s famed South Beach is desperately seeking a new image. The situation got so out of hand that Miami Beach Police brought in SWAT teams to disperse pepper bullets and called in law enforcement officers from at least four other agencies. Ad“We definitely want people to come and have fun," Miami Beach Commissioner Ricky Arriola said Monday. Miami Beach took less proactive measures under Republican Gov. —-This story has been corrected to show that New Orleans officials, not Edwards, closed Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras.

People in a mostly maskless crowd walk down Ocean Drive in Miami Beach, Florida's famed South Beach, Monday, March 22, 2021. A party-ending curfew is in effect in Miami Beach, imposed after fights, gunfire, property destruction and dangerous stampedes broke out among huge crowds of people. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Florida’s famed South Beach is desperately seeking a new image. Ad“We definitely want people to come and have fun," Miami Beach Commissioner Ricky Arriola said Monday. Miami Beach took less proactive measures under Republican Gov.

Tourists from Brooklyn take photos on a nearly deserted Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021. “We were expecting a little bit lower key than the normal Mardi Gras,” Wheeler said. Coronavirus-related restrictions in New Orleans included canceled parades, closed bars and a near shutdown of rowdy Bourbon Street. That, and unusually frigid weather, prevented what New Orleans usually craves at the end of Mardi Gras season: streets and businesses jam-packed with revelers. To the east, Mobile, Alabama, which boasts the nation's oldest Mardi Gras celebrations, had also canceled parades.

Some of the drinks featured in Houston's Mardi Gras pop-up bar in downtown. HOUSTON – A one-of-a-kind pop-up bar hopes to bring New Orleans-style Mardi Gras to downtown Houston. Live DJ and themed nights such as Wednesday Jazz Nights and weekend live performances are also scheduled. Houstonians can visit bar starting this Saturday until Feb. 28. If you go“Krewe De Plethora” Mardi Gras Pop-UpAddress: 711 Main, HoustonDates: Feb. 6-28Tickets: $20.

I pride myself on being a pretty solid Cajun.

HOUSTON – You can say goodbye to Mardi Gras Galveston in 2021. Galveston city council unanimously voted Tuesday to approve canceling next year’s Mardi Gras celebration amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the last few months, many krewes and sponsors pulled back out of safety concerns for their members and the public. While the Mystic Krewe of Aquarius raised concerns about participating amid coronavirus. In fact, the city of New Orleans called off all 2021 Mardi Gras parades.

HOUSTON – The group behind the Grand Night Parade, Coronation and Ball for Mardi Gras in Galveston announced Tuesday the cancellation of its 2021 celebrations. The news release noted that other significant Mardi Gras! Galveston events have also been canceled including the San Luis Salute, hosted annually by the Fertitta Family since 1996. The Knights of Momus said it was a unanimous decision among its executive committee to cancel the events due to the public’s safety amid the coronavirus pandemic. “We had hoped we might find some safe way to hold the events, but the current surge in cases entering the holiday season rendered this hope untenable and the risks unmanageable,” Kenneth Shelton, Jr., chairman of the Executive Committee of the Knights of Momus, said.

Dickens on the Strand, an annual Christmas celebration, will go on the weekend of Dec. 5 but with changes. The market features numerous craft, food, and holiday vendors that guests seek out each year,” according to Galveston Historical Foundation, which has hosted the holiday tradition for over 46 years. Business owners said they welcome the changes as a way to carry on tradition while maintaining safety protocol during the pandemic. Montemayor said sales have improved roughly 40% since summer when area bars and restaurants along the tourist destination were shuttered. Wendy Morgan, co-owner of the Admiralty on the Strand and Tina’s on the Strand, said sales look good as both businesses gear up for holiday sales.

(CNN) -- The novel coronavirus may join a short list of history’s events that have led to the cancellation of Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Mayor Latoya Cantrell suggested on Tuesday that canceling the 2021 Mardi Gras festivities is "something we have to think about." "It will give me great pause right now before I commit to saying we are moving forward with Mardi Gras 2021," Cantrell said. Mardi Gras begins on January 6 and Fat Tuesday in 2021 is February 16. The total number of hospitalizations and patients on ventilators is on the decline, with 1,666 hospitalized and 244 patients on vents.

With bars and restaurants around the state temporarily closing to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Friday and Saturday nights just haven’t felt as festive. Some have been packaging cocktail kits that include all the drink’s ingredients for customers to mix at home. Texas Highways also has a collection of cocktail recipes to share from our archives. This cocktail recipe from the Elk Store Winery & Distillery in Fredericksburg is a twist on the classic. The Elk Store is now offering wine and bottles of their small-batch housemade liquor to-go and for delivery.

New Orleans officials have banned tandem floats from parading during the rest of the Mardi Gras season after two people were killed in separate accidents last week. Both incidents -- one on Saturday and the other on Wednesday -- involved tandem floats, which have two or more floats connected together by a hitch and pulled by one tractor. NOLA Ready, the city’s emergency preparedness campaign, and Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced tandem floats won’t be allowed for the rest of the season. The Endymion parade is one of the most popular and one of the most family-oriented parades leading up to Mardi Gras, which is Tuesday. That incident followed a Wednesday fatality when a woman was hit with a tandem float during the Krewe of Nyx parade.

GALVESTON, Texas – Saturday night, the"Mardi Gras! Galveston" grand parade, organized by the Knights of Momus, Galveston’s oldest Krewe, rolled down the streets of Galveston. This year’s theme: “Sail Through Scandinavia.”The spectacular parade featured floats, marching bands and more. Want to relive the glory or fight your fear of missing out? Watch the full parade here.

(AP) – A person was struck by a float and fatally injured Saturday evening during one of the iconic parades of the Mardi Gras season in New Orleans, authorities said. The fatality comes as New Orleans was already mourning the death of a 58-year-old woman who witnesses said was run over by a parade float Wednesday night in the runup to Mardi Gras. Witnessed said the woman, later identified by authorities as Geraldine Carmouche, had apparently tried to cross between two parts of a tandem float but tripped over a hitch connecting the sections. Tandem floats are multiple floats connected together and pulled by one tractor. In 2008, a rider getting off a three-part float after the Krewe of Endymion parade in New Orleans was killed when the float lurched forward and the third section ran over him, police said.

Wonderfully cool Kiights of Momus parade forecast (KPRC)Heading into the final Mardi Gras weekend, our weather seems chamber of commerce perfect! The high today on Galveston Island will be a few degrees cooler than the normal of 66 for this time of the year and accompanied by mostly sunny skies. That sets up the next rain for our region which as of right now looks like a Monday morning through early afternoon passage. Expected rain amounts will be meager with half and inch to an inch and a half through Tuesday morning. Last week of February ten day forecast (KPRC)The cooler temperatures, including some 30s by the end of next week, will be accompanied by enough sunshine to make for a very pleasant last week of February!

The Knights of Momus Grand Night Parade on KPRC 2 presented by Landry’s, Golden Nugget Lake Charles and the Post Oak Hotel will take place on Saturday, February 22, 2020.

HOUSTON – Houston Rockets owner, Tilman Fertitta, is a businessman mogul and a world leader in the dining, hospitality, entertainment and gaming industries. Galveston and commented on the success of his new book “Shut Up & Listen!”Tilman Fertitta Shut Up and Listen! Fertitta, who grew up in Galveston, found another way to bring people back to the island with the annual Knights of Momus Parade. The successful businessman also announced he will be tossing Mardi Gras 2020 basketball caps from some of his floats during the Knights of Momus parade this Saturday. You can watch the Knights of Momus parade live, on KPRC Channel 2 beginning at 6:30 p.m. this Saturday, Feb. 22.

Get into the spirit of Mardi Gras with a classic Hurricane and peel-n-eat crawfish. Find your nearest Brick House Tavern + Tap here.] Quench your thirst with a drink curated especially for the Mardi Gras festivities. At the Fish Tales Mardi Gras balcony party on Feb. 15 and Feb. 22, there’s going to be one heck of a party. [RELATED: Where to eat during Mardi Gras!

HOUSTON – You don’t need to drive far to celebrate Mardi Gras. Instead, bring a taste of Louisiana to your own Mardi Gras party with some classic Cajun cooking. If you got friends coming over, light bites like Cajun duck poppers are convenient and a nice dish to get the party started. Cajun duck poppersCajun Duck Poppers (KPRC)(Serves 4)Ingredients• 1 ½ lbs. King’s Cake Milk PunchKing's Cake Milk Punch (KPRC)Ingredients:• 1.5 oz Plantation Pineapple Rum• 4 oz Half and half infused with orgeat, cinnamon, vanilla, orange zest• Infused cream• Purple, gold and green sugarDirections:1.

They’re a mainstay of Mardi Gras festivities but what do you do with all of them once Mardi Gras ends? Here’s what they had to say:Mardi Gras decor galore“Put them on my Christmas tree for Mardi gras season,” wrote Johnny Trlicia. Johnny Trlicia (KPRC 2)" Incorporated into my mantel decor," wrote Melissa Reddy-Tremblay. Recycle themIf you’re not a whiz with the glue gun or can’t think up a way to reuses your beads, recycle them. Surfrider Galveston collects unwanted beads and distributes them to organizations who will reuses the beads.

GALVESTON – The island’s 105th Mardi Gras celebration is now going strong, with about 300,000 visitors expected over the next two weekends. Saturday morning kicked off with the Mystic Krewe of Aquarius parade, which features 15 marching bands and dozens of floats. “I love the beads, I love the atmosphere, I love the beach,” said Alfredo Guerra, who is celebrating his 41st birthday this weekend. Besides watching the parades, many people also enjoy throwing beads from the balconies at the strand, a Mardi Gras tradition. The celebration continues Sunday with the Sunshine Kids parade at 1pm and the Shriners Hospital for Children Parade at 3p .m.

GALVESTON, Texas – Galveston was packed with people Saturday for the last weekend of Mardi Gras. For the crowds of people coming to Mardi Gras, it's all about having a good time. Organizers of this year's Mardi Gras celebrations in Galveston estimate more than 300,000 people showed up. With the help of neighboring law enforcement agencies, Galveston police say they're ready for any kind of emergency. The Galveston County Sheriff's Office and police with the University of Texas Medical Branch are also in Galveston to help.