Binge drinking, bead-flinging and body part-flashing will set the scene this weekend, but not just in New Orleans.

St. Louis has the second-largest Mardi Gras celebration in the nation after New Orleans, according to Stlouis.com. On Feb. 21, the city will have its annual parade, as well as a Bud Light party tent and performances by a DJ and other musical guests.

Blair Tudas, Leawood senior, leaves Friday to celebrate in St. Louis for the fourth year in a row.

“It’s pretty much the same as any bar you’d go to, except this occasion everyone is drunker and people are showing body parts for beads,” Tudas said.

About three inches of snow covered the ground last year, but that didn’t discourage Tudas and his friends from celebrating.

Clayton Holden, Overland Park junior, accompanied Tudas last year and said he remembered some wild moments.

“I saw a guy in a full Cat in the Hat costume walking down the street drinking with Thing One and Thing Two,” Holden said.

Holden and Tudas said their friends were also a source of amusement. One friend dropped his phone in a portable toilet and reached in to retrieve it. Another friend was so intoxicated that he briefly passed out in the snow.

“It was like babysitting, but really fun at the same time,” Tudas said.

Ashley McMinn, St. Louis senior, has participated in St. Louis Mardi Gras activities in the past, but last year, she experienced the holiday while studying abroad.

Mardi Gras, called Carnival in Europe, highlights the color, variety and pleasure available throughout the year, said Crystal Hall, assistant professor of Italian.

“Whether or not people know the history of the celebration, Carnival is a period of release,” Hall said. “It’s a time to do many of the things we don’t make time for during the year, or shouldn’t do during Lent.”

Mardi Gras and Carnival are fun ways to explore a culture and see what it has to offer, Hall said.

When McMinn stepped off the train in Venice to celebrate Mardi Gras last year, she was greeted by a face-painter who gave her a mask of green, black and white paint, accented with gold glitter.

“They try to play up around your eyes like how a mask would be,” McMinn said. “It’s about celebrating like they do.”

Among the differences between the celebrations in the U.S. and Italy, McMinn noticed the use of masks and elaborate costumes in Venice.

“It’s more of a production,” McMinn said. “They have a huge performance and a lot of traditions and street performers.”

This year, McMinn plans to celebrate in St. Louis again. She is staying in a hotel, even though her home is about 30 minutes from downtown.

“Because of parking problems and being there all day, it’s just easier to find your way back to a hotel room than to make it back all the way home,” McMinn said.

Tudas and Holden said they also planned to stay in a hotel and expected to spend about $400 during the weekend.

“Nothing’s free at Mardi Gras,” Holden said.

— — Edited by Heather Melanson