Marching Band's First Parade on Saturday

"A person can never know what Mardi Gras is really like until they've experienced it for themselves," says Kyrsten Melander, a drum major with the Tulane Marching Band. A favorite of parade goers, the band typically marches in four Carnival parades a year, with its 2010 Mardi Gras debut on Saturday (Feb. 6).
 

Watch this video of drum major Kyrsten Melander and her band mates explaining what makes Mardi Gras so exciting for the Tulane Marching Band.

Melander and her co-drum major, Allison Feibus, sophomores, are both from Millstone Township, N.J., where they say their parents are still unsure about the goings on at Mardi Gras.

"We'd never experienced Mardi Gras until we came to New Orleans. Everyone thinks that Mardi Gras is about flashing people on Bourbon Street, and my parents still believe that," says Melander. "In reality it's a lot of fun, and it's truly a family event with the parades as the center of attention."

The Tulane Marching Band will participate in these four parades during the 2010 Carnival season:

Mystic Krewe of Olympia (in Covington, La.)
Saturday, Feb. 6, at 6 p.m.

Krewe d'Etat
Friday, Feb. 12, at 6 p.m.

Krewe of Thoth
Sunday, Feb. 14, at 11 a.m.

Rex
Tuesday, Feb. 16, at 10 a.m.