Many Louisiana lobbyists, business executives and government leaders came to the nation's capital for the inauguration of President Donald Trump, with plans to stay through Sunday for Washington Mardi Gras.
Or that was the idea, anyway, before once-in-a-generation winter weather hit the state.
Gov. Jeff Landry Landry rushed home before the inauguration to oversee the state's emergency response. Flights out of Baton Rouge and New Orleans were canceled.
So Washington Mardi Gras is a little up in the air for Landry and some others.
“We’ve had three meetings canceled for tomorrow for people who could not get out today from basically south Louisiana,” U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge.
It's more than just canceled flights, Cassidy said. It’s icy, elevated roads and bridges.
“You cannot get out of Baton Rouge because somewhere, you’re going to be driving over a bridge. And if you’re coming from St. Bernard Parish, I’m sure you’re going to have the same problem,” Cassidy said.
Like each of the six representatives and two senators in Louisiana’s congressional delegation, Cassidy is set to hobnob with corporate and charity leaders, university presidents, economic development directors, lobbyists and trade associations in a kind of long weekend retreat at the Washington Hilton.
He said he acts as a hub, setting up meetings for people who need help with the federal government and facilitating relationships with people from different parts of the state.
“I like to make those connections for different people who would support each other if only they knew each other,” Cassidy said.
State Treasurer John Fleming already was in Dallas for a meeting and was able to catch a flight.
“You don’t have to go to Washington to get drunk,” Fleming said.
But he is challenging Cassidy’s 2026 reelection and Washington Mardi Gras is a good way to casually visit with movers and shakers in Louisiana politics.
Many politicians — though not Fleming — are using the event to raise funds for their campaign war chests, including Landry, Attorney General Liz Murrill, and New Orleans Councilwoman-at-Large Helena Moreno, who is running for mayor.
Fleming said he’s also trying to mix economic development initiatives at the celebration while taking unrelated business meetings elsewhere in the city.
That’s kind of the point of Washington Mardi Gras, said U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans and this year’s chair.
He’s been alerted by people wanting to meet with him that flights had to be rearranged. But he’s also hearing that many of those callers are still planning to come. He hasn’t changed plans to hold an open house Wednesday.
“Washington Mardi Gras is a party with a purpose,” Carter said. “It’s an opportunity for people invested in growing Louisiana’s economy to come to our nation’s capital and meet with decision-makers.”
The theme of this 76th Washington Mardi Gras 2025 is, "Duty, Honor, Louisiana."
Deals are not necessarily cut, but relationships develop that lead to business.
Washington Mardi Gras is financed with ticket sales. The side affairs, some of them lavish, are funded by corporations and their lobbyists.
The official krewe focuses mostly on the standard fare for any Carnival celebration: costumes, royalty, debutantes, teas, lunches and a ball.
And then there are dozens of private, invitation-only cocktail parties and dinners that piggyback on the official events. The Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady of the Lake Health System, which oversees Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, one of the 25 largest hospitals in the country, is hosting a cocktail party Wednesday night in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
Some party organizers arrived on Monday, others spent Tuesday rearranging flights.
Political action committees for each of the congressional delegation members and corporations, such as Ochsner Health and River Birch Renewable Energy, are hosting parties in hotel suites, which allows participants to float between them.
LSU will hold a watch party when the school’s No. 5 women’s basketball team plays No. 3 South Carolina on Thursday night. Many LSU officials already are in Washington, while those still in Louisiana are rebooking their flights.
“Washington Mardi Gras is a great opportunity for our Congressional delegation to meet with local and state leaders on a wide range of issues important to Louisiana,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson. “This event strengthens these relationships while honoring Louisiana’s prized history and traditions and showcasing our world-class culture in our nation’s capital.”
Washington Mardi Gras began back in the 1940s when homesick congressional staffers began throwing small parties. The politicos got involved and soon the affair grew into a multiday event capped by a costume ball.
CBS’s Walter Cronkite served as moderator at one ball in the 1950s. Top officials regularly attended, including Richard Nixon and Lyndon Johnson before they became presidents.
Carter chose New Orleans lawyer Rico Alvendia as King and Kendall Williams as the 2025 Queen.
Williams is the daughter of lawyer James Williams, the former chair of the LSU Board of Supervisors, who is a past king of Washington Mardi Gras. She is a 2024 graduate from the Louise S. McGehee School in New Orleans and now attends Howard University in Washington. She has a portfolio full of volunteer activities.
Williams is hoping to become a lawyer.
Alvendia is an Iraq War veteran, and as an officer in the U.S. Army JAG Corps prosecuted combatants in Baghdad who had fatally attacked American soldiers and civilians. Rico was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his meritorious service during Combat Operations.
Alvendia was raised in New Orleans, attended Jesuit High School and Loyola University. He is the founding partner of the Alvendia, Kelly & Demarest Law Firm in New Orleans.
The official highlights are Thursday night’s “Louisiana Alive,” party, which is a salute to the state’s congressional delegation and their staffers. The party is a favorite for D.C. people with no other Louisiana connection than liking the free food and bands. A row of raised booths where sponsors give away favors encircles a large dance floor.
The penultimate event is Saturday’s ball, hosted by the king and queen with entourages that include many of the festival queens.
Friday features the Washington Mardi Gras Economic Development Luncheon & Reception, which gathers more than 300 business, civic and government leaders. It is usually closed to the public.
Temperatures in Washington have been hovering in the teens and low 20s. But daily highs are predicted to climb into the 30s by Thursday with the official start of Washington Mardi Gras. Skies should be clear.