No, doubt Mardi Gras is the biggest and absolutely free party but one has to pay for every other thing. Right from reaching to New Orleans to staying and moving around in the city. The party mood lingers throughout the city with everything getting very expensive.
If you have relatives or acquaintances your accommodation problem is solved otherwise staying in the hotel is the only option. During Mardi Gras Festival hotels offer just 3 to 5 days of minimum stay.
One can move inside the city by hiring bus or street car at $1.25, one needs to keep the exact change for it. One can procure one day visit tour card for $5 which offers unlimited rides on buses and street cars or take a three days pass for $12 and enjoy the unlimited rides. But most routes would be disrupted by parades. Getting around those days becomes an ordeal so prepared to walk.
Except the party for everything you have to pay.
