More cops than confetti are expected to be prevalent on parade routes when Mardi Gras goes into full swing in New Orleans this weekend.

Mardi Gras is less than a week away and security surrounding this year’s Fat Tuesday celebrations, marking the end of Carnival season in New Orleans, will be heightened following the deadly New Year’s Day terror attack on Bourbon Street.

After a brief post- Super Bowl breather, an intense security presence will return to the streets and skies of New Orleans, as helicopters, drones, bomb-sniffing dogs, SWAT

Be on the lookout this Mardi Gras for a little extra star power in New Orleans as Shaquille O'Neal, "True Blood" star Rutina Wesley and others reign as celebrity monarchs in parades. Why it matters: Some will throw custom doubloons and swag.

Walt Leger, President and CEO of New Orleans and Company, says if you’re going by the numbers, it should still be elbow-to-elbow on the parade route.

A Mardi Gras float created a traffic headache Tuesday (Feb. 25) afternoon. A tractor pulling the float was tipped onto its side on US 90 West at the Tchoupitoulas Exit. Two lanes were blocked at 2:30 p.