“Cest levee,” was the theme of this year’s Krewe de Vieux (pronounced kroo de voo), which opened Mardi Gras season last Friday night. Krewe de Vieux maintains an ancient tradition of marching on foot, the only floats are pulled by hands or horses. Crowds were as plentiful and lively as ever, dancing to the numerous brass bands accompanying the parade.

None of the hurricane debris got in the way of the merriment. The French Quarter has been clean for months and the trash piles were removed from the Marigny just in time for Mardi Gras. Many locals are ready to have a good time and revel in the chaos that will ensue for the next few weeks. Others are asking how much this merriment will cost the city long term.

A New York Times article on Saturday reported that New Orleans had to adopt a new strategy to pay for this year’s Mardi Gras because local funding is non-existent. The city is asking for corporate sponsorship to endorse the festivities. So far, only Glad Bags has responded with an unspecified six-figure donation as well as 100,000 garbage bags.

According to local business owners, Mardi Gras is a necessary part of the rebuilding process, providing vital financial income. Normally, New Orleans is a money-making time for all. Anybody who wants work can find it. But the season has already begun and it is unclear how people proclaiming the necessity of Mardi Gras think that it will benefit residents stranded in other states. Once the season is over, the city hits an annual hiring slump that lasts through fall.

The Times Picayune reported today that a judge let the federal government drop 12,000 homeless families from a program that has put them up at hotels nationwide. The families will receive financial assistance but FEMA will no longer pay for the hotels directly. They’re clearing out the hotels to make way for tourists.

The Mardi Gras that was cancelled in 1979 because of a police strike is remembered fondly as one of the most fun years ever. Though rumors were flying about massive outbreaks of violence and blood flowing down Canal St., these predictions did not come true.

This year’s Mardi Gras is ripe for medical catastrophe with the city’s largest medical facility, Charity Hospital, still running on one tenth of their normal medical staff out of tents in the Convention Center. Mardi Gras is always a hectic period for hospital employees contending with hundreds of cases of alcohol poisoning and random acts of violence. Last year multiple people were brought in after being stabbed in the behind.

This year, they’re sticking it to people right in front of their faces.