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That’s what a Mardi Gras fundraiser is all about. It’s a carnival. So why not have fun planning and working your fundraiser.

Even if you’ve never been to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, you probably have an idea of what it’s about: a big celebration with colorful beads, tasty food, and spirited music and dancing. 

You can pull off a variation of this that is sure to leave your guests looking forward to next year’s event.

Team Mardi Gras
How much revenue would you like to make? This will determine ticket prices, number of tickets to sell, size of venue, and just about every other variable for the event.

Is there anyone on your volunteer team familiar with Mardi Gras? They don’t have to be from New Orleans; Gulf Coast towns from Texas to Florida all celebrate Mardi Gras in their own way every year.

Here are some jobs to consider for your team. You will probably run into more jobs as you go.

• Food planning and prep
• Drink planning and prep
• Decorating
• Sponsorships/Donations
• Publicity
• Photographer
• Entertainment
• Event duties

Venue
Since you are serving food, look for a place that has a kitchen like a restaurant, cafeteria, church or a civic organization’s meeting house. Having a kitchen isn’t crucial but it can make preparation and clean-up easier.

If you’re going to serve alcohol, make sure the venue allows it.

Tickets
Once you know your goal and the costs associated with the event, you can price your tickets. Some tickets can be as low as $25 per person on up to $100. Give a pairs discount. Sell an entire table at one discounted price.

Sell as many as possible before the event. Hold a limited number for sale the night of.

Publicity
Advertise on the radio, TV and newspapers. Most media are looking for stories to run especially if there’s a human element involved. Use the power of social media like Facebook. Post flyers on community bulletin boards. Most effective: word-of-mouth. Have your volunteers tell their friends, co-workers, neighbors and relatives.

If possible, list the specific food, entertainment, and prizes in all your advertisements.

Sponsorship
Find local businesses willing to sponsor a table or underwrite some part of the fundraiser like the food or beverages.

You’ll also need sponsor donations for the silent auction and raffle. .

Decorations
Green (Faith), gold (Power), and purple (Justice) are the traditional colors of Mardi Gras. Start with these colors and you’re half-way there.

Decorate with green, gold, and purple balloons. Make the lighting in the venue a little mysterious by using red light bulbs.

The primary accoutrements of the Mardi Gras celebration are beads and masks. Lots of beads. Hang them everywhere especially on your guests. You can find beads in costume shops or on-line.

Masks are feathered or the Comedy and Drama faces that have become symbolic of the celebration. If you have the resources, make masks for each guest. With masks, anything goes.

Encourage your guests to wear costumes.

Food and Drink
Think New Orleans and Cajun: crawfish etouffee, jambalaya, and po’boys. Find a New Orleans style restaurant in town to cater at a discount price.

If there’s a local culinary school or college, ask them to volunteer their time in creating a Mardi Gras menu.

A staple of Mardi Gras is the King Cake said to represent the Biblical Three Kings. It’s essentially a large cinnamon roll decorated with icing and the Mardi Gras colors.  
Somewhere within the cake a little plastic baby is buried. Tradition calls for whoever gets the baby to buy the cake next year.
For drinks, consider Mint Juleps, Bloody Marys, and Hurricanes—a New Orleans invention made with lime juice, passion fruit and rum. Have a cash bar.
Entertainment
Try to find a local Zydeco band or at least a band that can play blues, bluegrass and/or country. Short of that, hire a DJ to play those styles of music.

Find a local celebrity emcee (master of ceremonies) to host the event. TV and radio personalities as well as civic leaders make wonderful emcees because of their speaking skills. An emcee can keep the celebration lively and moving, and playfully remind guests about the charity.

The Event
Here’s where it all comes together. Keep the beverages flowing and the music playing.

Give each guest an event program with times and any important reminders about the silent auction, raffles, etc. 

Make sure your silent auction table has sign-up sheets and a clear and enticing description or picture of the item for bid. Monitor the table. If sign-up is low, have your emcee make a playful push for more bidders. Decide what time to close the auction, maybe before dessert.

Sell raffle tickets for a grand prize like a trip to New Orleans. Sell these tickets for $50 or even $100. Have your emcee announce the silent auction winners before closing the raffle. Hearing the winners, this might encourage folks to buy raffle tickets.

With great music, zesty Cajun food and colorful decorations, you’re Mardi Gras fundraiser will be so fun your guests will be asking about tickets for next year’s event.