NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- In a satirical move, Mardi Gras festivities in hurricane-battered New Orleans featured a Blue Tarp Costume Show Monday, a symbol of the city's reconstruction.
Known as Lundi Gras, the day featured the blue tarp creations by local designers, craftspeople and artists, which were auctioned Friday and raised $6,000, The New Orleans Times Picayune reported.
Mayor Ray Nagin was to kick off the Lundi Gras festivities, recognized as a New Orleans-style family reunion that this year features two of the world's most famous carnival krewes, Zulu and Rex.
Sunday, the weather was sunny and mild as revelers gathered for parades in Carnival season, which concludes Tuesday night.
Attendance is down for the first Carnival since Hurricane Katrina hit on Aug. 29 and flooded 80 percent of the city. However, the heart of the festivities -- the French Quarter -- escaped much of the massive damage.
