Mardi Gras 2017 Live Stream: Watch Parades, Celebrations And New Orleans' Best Parties Online

New Orleans is in full celebration mode — it's Mardi Gras season. The official celebration doesn't happen until Tuesday, but the partying and parades have been going on for quite some time now.

If you're in the area and looking to take part in a parade, here's a good site to reference. Unfortunately, not everyone can get down to New Orleans for the fun. But don't fret: As always, there's a live stream to remedy that.

To find a good live stream, check here on NewOrleansWebsites.com and here on EarthCam, two sites with multiple cameras throughout the city.

The video feeds could be a fun way to spice up a party — imagine your get-together having the sights of New Orleans brought into it. And if you're looking for other ideas for your party, here are some handy tips for decorations, games, food and drinks put together by International Business Times. In summary: It can't hurt to have a bunch of alcohol, a whole mess of beads and perhaps some crawfish étouffée or gumbo, dishes that a particularly beloved by this correspondent.

Mardi Gras, otherwise known as "Fat Tuesday," is the final day before Ash Wednesday, which means folks will soon give up some of their favorite indulgences for 40 days. Mardi Gras is the celebration aimed at enjoying all the fun things in life before giving them up.

That means tons of junk food and booze. Between Jan. 6, the unofficial start of the Mardi Gras season, and Fat Tuesday itself, some half a million king cakes — the traditional celebratory confection — are sold in New Orleans, according to the city's convention and visitors bureau. The city is the capital of Mardi Gras, and the celebrations are perhaps the thing for which it is most notable. The holiday is worth some $840 million annually to New Orleans, according to the convention and visitors bureau.