Experience Mardi Gras Live on MardiGras.com

Experience Mardi Gras Live on MardiGras.com

See Mardi Gras parades and all of the live action in New Orleans on Bourbon Street on MardiGras.com

NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Against all odds, hurricane-battered New Orleans is gearing up to celebrate Mardi Gras 2006, a symbol of the city's will to survive.

At least 50 parades will roll in the metro area, and the world will again be able to watch Carnival unfold, as MardiGras.com opens a live window onto the parades and parties for its 11th year of Internet Webcasts. On stately St. Charles Avenue, local hosts will share the excitement as the big parades cross the stage of ParadeCam, live from Fat Harry's Bar. Meanwhile, in the heart of the French Quarter, the famed BourboCam and its wild hosts will share the party live from Bourbon Street.

Even before Hurricane Katrina, Mardi Gras 2006 was slated as a historic event. It is the 150th anniversary of creation of the Comus organization, and its parades and floats -- the birth of the modern Mardi Gras tradition. In the aftermath of the hurricane, Carnival has taken on a more serious meaning.

"We are back, stronger than ever and ready to show the world the live events of Mardi Gras," said Jon Donley, editor of MardiGras.com and NOLA.com.

On Jan. 6, the MardiGras.com krewe joined the Phunny Phorty Phellows in their traditional Twelfth Night streetcar ride to officially kick off the season. The Web site, affiliated with The Times-Picayune of New Orleans, is now preparing to bring the entire climactic parade season to its live Internet audience.

Live Webcasts began with BourboCam Live on Feb. 17, and continued with the first live parade shows on ParadeCam on Feb. 18. Both live webcams offer hosted shows every day until Fat Tuesday (Feb. 28), with Mardi Gras Day Webcasts beginning at 8 a.m. and continuing until the police close Bourbon Street early on Ash Wednesday (March 1).

Live show schedules will be announced soon on MardiGras.com and at NOLA.com's Cam Central, home of its 24/7 webcam network.

Web links:

MardiGras.com - http://www.mardigras.com/
NOLA.com - http://www.nola.com/
Cam Central - http://www.nola.com/bourbocam

MardiGras.com is the most comprehensive Web site on New Orleans' Mardi Gras, featuring live coverage, history, and photos. NOLA.com and MardiGras.com are the online sources for news, information, and entertainment in and around New Orleans.

*During the Hurricane Katrina evacuation, NOLA.com provided local news from the affiliated newspaper, The Times-Picayune to over 4.2 million visitors.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix September 2005

NOLA.com (www.nola.com) and MardiGras.com (www.mardigras.com), based in New Orleans, Louisiana, are affiliates of Advance Internet, Inc., (http://www.advanceinternet.com/) a leading creator of highly interactive, online community-based news and information Web sites created in alliance with over 28 newspapers owned and operated by Advance Publications Inc., and its subsidiaries, including The Times-Picayune. In addition to NOLA.com, Advance Internet, Inc. develops and manages nine other local web sites including al.com; cleveland.com; MassLive.com; MLive.com; NJ.com; OregonLive.com; PennLive.com; SILive.com; and Syracuse.com. These local brands engage consumers, giving them information that is relevant to their day-to-day lives, as well as empower them to share their opinions with others in their communities within contextual environments.

Source: Nola.com

CONTACT: Jon Donley of Nola.com, +1-504-299-3502, or cell,
+1-504-432-0042, or jdonley@nola.com

Web site: http://www.mardigras.com/
http://www.nola.com/
http://www.nola.com/bourbocam
http://www.advanceinternet.com/

-------
Profile: intent