Float photos on Flickr

To get the feeling of Mardi Gras year-round, visit Mardi Gras World, the largest float designing and building facility in the world. Here more than 80 percent of the floats that journey down New Orleans' streets during the Carnival season are designed and built.

Begun in 1947 by float designer and builder Blaine Kern, Mardi Gras World provides visitors with the opportunity to don authentic Mardi Gras costumes and tour enormous warehouses filled with floats. The tour includes a short video and guide who is quite knowledgeable about Mardi Gras history and customs. And for a taste of Mardi Gras, king cake and piping hot New Orleans coffee are served.

During the tour, visitors learn about the many traditions surrounding Mardi Gras parades, balls and music, as well as the intricacies of float designing and building. Mardi Gras floats began rumbling down New Orleans streets in 1837 with mule-drawn carriages. Today the tradition continues with sophisticated mega-floats, which hold more than 200 masked riders and are lit with fiber optic cables and laser lights.

float trip 029 by bunnywingo

Float Trip by Billy Schmidt

Float trip on the Black River in Missouri

nyepi in BAli by seems33

Float by Kerry Randolph

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Float

float trip 083 by bunnywingo

float trip 045 by bunnywingo

float by Damaris Freitas

Floats by Akiko Aoki

11 floats battle by playing Ohayashi music.

That is the most exciting scene in the festival.

11の山車が太鼓のたたき合い。すごい迫力！

深谷八坂神社祭

PENTAX *ist DS2 / PENTAX FA35mm f2

Float by Cohen Floch

You see many things floating in the ponds and lakes of Taiwan, some of them beautiful, some of them disgusting.

float plane by hgodfreyjervis

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float down. by astromanti_co

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Big Float 2018 by BES Portland

The Big Float

The Big Float, Portland's popular river and beach party, got its name and inspiration from the Big Pipe project.

Human Access Project's The Big Float thebigfloat.com/

The City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services : www.portlandoregon.gov/bes/CheckTheRec

Photo Credit: City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services / Ronda Fast (2018)

Float the Boat by Simon K.

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Night Festival - Float by Choo Yut Shing

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NS50 - From My Generation Years Float at the Chingay 2017 Night Fiesta @ Chinatown.

Floats by John Vonderlin

Float Your Boat by Geary County CVB

Racing at the 2014 Float Your Boat Races.

www.junctioncity.org

Hand Blown Glass Float (Mama Made) by Simple Mama

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Japanese Glass floats are becoming increasingly rare to find along the shore. Lincoln City, Oregon places a handful of artisan glass floats along the 7.5 miles of shore each day (2009 in 2009). Those of us who aren't lucky enough to find one, can blow our own at one of the glass studios in town. This is my hand-blown glass float.

Float trip by Care_SMC