Mardi Gras is an international celebration that marks the beginning of the penitential season of Lent. Often called Fat Tuesday or Carnival, Mardi Gras a time to party, celebrate, and indulge before the Lenten season.
Despite the traditional parades, costumes, and outlandish revelry, there have been plenty of horrible things that happened on Mardi Gras. Fat Tuesday crimes and Mardi Gras tragedies have become more prevalent as crowds have grown and celebrations have become wilder and wilder each year. Because of the holiday's emphasis on consumption of alcohol and deliberate debauchery, it is inevitable that some participants get caught up in unpleasant incidents and even grave misfortune.
11 Horrible Crimes And Events That Happened At Mardi Gras Celebrations,
The Carnival Tragedy Of 1823 Left 100 Boys Dead
Carnival is the weeklong celebration before Ash Wednesday - the day after Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras is considered to be the American version of Carnival - though Carnival itself is celebrated in many parts of the US. Long before Mardi Gras became popular, Carnival celebrations were held worldwide, and often included parties and excessive eating and drinking.
In 1823, young boys living in Malta came together to celebrate Carnival by receiving food at a local convent, aimed as a way to keep the boys from partying in the streets with the adults. But as the ceremony began, a scramble for the bread began and resulted in a stampede. Some boys - mostly ages eight to 15 - were caught in the corridors and tight staircases of the convent. Adults came to get their share of free bread and a melee broke out, leaving 110 boys trampled to death.
Seven People Shot After Two Gunman Go On Mardi Gras Rampage
At the 2009 Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans, seven people were shot - including a toddler - after a two shooters unleashed on a public crowd.
The two assailants began firing randomly in the prosperous Uptown neighborhood of New Orleans. The victims included a 20 month old infant grazed by a bullet. Although two of the adult victims were seriously injured and required surgery, nobody was killed during the attack. A doctor at the scene commented after helping one of the victims:
"I'm off to Afghanistan this summer. Damn, this is more dangerous than Afghanistan."
Three men were arrested in connection to the shootings, though one was later acquitted.
The 2015 Mardi Gras Krewe Of Muses Parade Resulted In Deadly Violence
The Mardi Gras season features nightly parades culminating to one grand celebration on Mardi Gras itself. On February 12, 2015, during the annual Krewe of Muses parade in New Orleands, an altercation broke out along the parade route, and two men were shot to death amidst thousands of spectators. This incident occurred at an intersection along St. Charles Avenue - one of the most prominent and historic thoroughfares in the city. On September 12, 2016, John Hicks plead guilty to manslaughter in the deaths of the two men. At the time of the shooting, he was 19. He received a 45-year jail sentence.
20 People Died In Haiti After A Float Ran Into A Power Line
Tragedy struck a Haitian Carnival parade after a float ran into a power line and 20 people died from a resulting stampede. The incident occurred in 2015, and put a stop to all following Carnival celebrations in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince.
According to news reports, the float ran into power lines which caused a massive spark. Atop the float was singer Fantom, who literally ran into the power line with his body. The parade route was packed with spectators who immediately started to panic. In the chaos, 20 people were trampled to death and 47 were severely injured. Fantom miraculously made a full recovery.
Philly Mardi Gras Riots Result In Mass Chaos
In 2001, Philadelphia's Mardi Gras celebrations started off fun but ended in chaos. Despite major precautions at the city's Mardi Gras parade, unrest broke out. Crowds tore down road blocks, rioters broke into a liquor store and looted it as well as nearby businesses, threw bottles at police, and forced businesses to shut down early. Two-hundred people were arrested as a result.
Float Loses Control At A Carnival Parade And Kills Six
A truck carrying a float in Rio de Janeiro's 2017 Carnival parade went out of control and veered off its parade path, ultimately killing six and injuring at least 20 others.
The accident occurred during Rio's traditional samba parade which leads up to an all-night samba dance-off at Sambodromo stadium. The truck pulling the float sped out of control, drove to close to a fence, and trapped many injured people for an extended period of time. Despite the injuries, the dance-off still took place.
Rogue Firework Hits Power Line And Causes
During the 2011 Carnival celebrations in Brazil, 16 people were killed in a power line accident. While the parade was making its way down the streets of Minas Gerais, traditional fireworks were going off. One hit a power line, causing it to spark and break. The line touched multiple people, 16 of whom died. At least 54 others were injured in the chaos.
Seattle Mardi Gras Riot Results In A High Profile Murder
What started out as a fun night of Mardi Gras revelry turned to tragedy in 2001, when 5,000 people spilled into Pioneer Square and brawls began. A full scale riot broke out where groups of people targeted innocent bystanders while the police were severely outnumbered. One man, Kris Kime, attempted to help a woman knocked to the ground and was himself assaulted and stomped repeatedly. Kime bled internally, the result of a fractured skull, and died in hospital. His family sued the city of Seattle and received a multi-million dollar settlement. His assailant, 17-year-old Jerell Thomas, received a 10-year jail sentence and was released in 2010. The city of Seattle subsequently placed a moratorium on any future Mardi Gras celebrations.
Drunk Driver Injures 28 People After Driving Into Mardi Gras Crowd
On February 22, 2017, 25-year-old Neilson Rizzuto drunkenly drove his car in New Orleans. He then took a turn downtown directly through a blocked off parade route, causing mass chaos as he tore through the crowd. In the end, 28 people were hurt - include children - some with serious injuries. Rizzuto is charged with first-degree negligent vehicular injuring along with reckless operation of a vehicle. According to police, he had a blood alcohol level of .232. The legal limit in Louisiana is .08.
A 2014 "Calm" Mardi Gras Celebration Leaves Two Dead
New Orleans police described the 2014 Mardi Gras as a comparatively calm affair, compared to other recent celebrations. Bad weather caused low turnout, which meant less crime at the parades and parties.
Despite that, two people were shot dead in a parking lot of Mardi Gras World - an exhibition space dedicated to the Mardi Gras experience in New Orleans. The assailants attended a concert at the space before the shooting occurred. A third man was injured but survived.