Pirates of the Plebean

I've been looking at some CDPB posts from cities that have Carnival or Mardi Gras celebrations. Carlos' pictures from Barcelona are outstanding. It's a pity we don't have a CDPB in Rio de Janeiro.

St. Louis' modest Mardi Gras is more plucky and unsophisticated than some. (I assume the blood alcohol content of all cities with such celebrations is similar.) No floats that cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to build, no enormous samba parties in the street. But where else would you get a guy riding a simple float in a gorilla suit and a fey pirate hat? It's genuine fun and not a bit pretentious. Not exactly a family event, though, unlike the charming children in Carlos' picture on Sunday. Take a look at the bigger set of St. Louis Mardi Gras pictures on Flickr (mine are here and ShadowyOne has some great ones here), note the number of suspicious plastic cups in people's hands and the - what can we say? - spontanious behavior.

TOMORROW: Well, the big night of Mardi Gras parade is downtown this evening. I'd like to go shoot it but it's supposed to be pouring down rain. If I make it, that's probably what will be on the blog tomorrow. If not, just come back for a surprise.