Fat Tuesday 2024!

Today is Fat Tuesday, the finale to Mardi Gras. The celebrations are particularly festive in Rio de Janeiro, Venice, Italy, and New Orleans, although, as I remember, there were a number of shootings in the Big Easy on Fat Tuesday last year, which somehow put a bit of a damper on the festivities. In any case, the celebrations seem to be few and far between here in Denver. No big parades or partying in the streets, like in those other cities. However, last year I remember attending the 7th Annual Mardi Gras Party and World's Tiniest Mardi Gras Parade at Call to Arms Brewing Company, in Denver's Berkeley neighborhood, on the Saturday before Fat Tuesday. It was indeed a lot of fun, and I took the photograph above during that parade down the block and back. This year, I did not see any mention of it in the newspapers, on the internet, or even on the Call to Arms website itself. Was the 8th annual parade canceled? And if so, why? A lot of people participated in last year's event, and so perhaps it became a victim of its own success. Too disruptive for that now upscale neighborhood? Or maybe it was just held on the QT, to avoid those disruptive aspects of the event. And yes, I am indeed taking it personally. Was I really that disruptive? I only wanted to take a few - all right, a few hundred, or thousand - photographs for my blog. What is wrong with that? Not a damn thing! Next year, I intend to head to Rio, where I am sure they will understand.