Aside from parties and politicking, each year's Washington Mardi Gras has a mission. Here's what this year's event is trying ...

Two well-known celebrities who call the Crescent City home are also in attendance as events kick-off Thursday.

Jeremy Alford publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com. Follow him on Facebook or X (formerly Twitter). He can be reached at [email protected].