I'm from north LA & ppl here leave out their Christmas trees & decorate them for Mardi Gras! Maybe a small tabletop one all jazzed up? Definitely jambalaya & king cake! If you want a game idea, something to do with crawfish is good. Dancing, masks, beads, zydeco music, outlandish costumes, spicy foods, etc. Maybe a game centered around speaking Cajun (or trying) could get interesting, especially if someone knows French! Our schools very 1st prom (which was also mine) about 15 yrs ago was Mardi Gras themed!!!!
This sounds like it is going to be a lot of fun! For your buffet dinner, you should serve jambalaya, chicken or seafood gumbo, Popeyes chicken, king cake, red beans and rice, shrimp étouffée, etc. On Mardi gras day or any day if you are riding on a float, you always pick up Popeyes chicken to have on the float with you and someone always cooks a huge vat of jambalaya and/or gumbo and king cake. Those are food staples for Mardi gras. Also every Krewe has a King and Queen. Maybe you can sell raffle tickets for a weekend in New Orleans and the people that sell the most tickets are crown King and Queen the night of the event. Also we throw doubloons by the hand full. You can get them in many different colors and maybe use them part of the bid process for the auction or they can get a different color for price bid on an item. I would also have guests dress up in costume or if it is semi formal, have a mask contest. At the end of the auction have everyone strut around the room in a second line waving napkins or decorated umbrellas. Hope this helps!
Mardi Gras always makes me think of parades. It didn't say if this was family or adults only. Can you do any kind of mini parade with wagon sized "floats"? This would be great for getting families/kids involved. You could have the floats judged.
Can you get a jazz band for pre-auction or post-auction entertainment? Maybe the local high school jazz band could play a few songs as people are entering or getting their meals from the buffet line.
Sounds like alot of fun! Below are just a few ideas.
1. Offer an entry into the drawing for a special prize (wine tasting for 10) for any adult who wears a mask or dresses in a Mardi Gras costume.
2. You could also have a silent vote costume contest throughout the night & the winner could receive a special prize.
3. Due to the event being adult only, many of the silent auction items could be themed around the Mardi Gras parties. Examples: Gift Cards basket, Margarita making supplies basket, Mardi Gras masks assortment, Bourbon Street goodies, Maybe one of your members could donate their timeshare in New Orleans or a hotel will sometimes give you a 2-3 day gift certificate.
4. If you reach your financial goal for the evening, you could offer the school kids all an opportunity to make a mask during class. You can use paperplates, construction paper, and other items that the teachers may have as leftover art goodies.
5. Don't forget a Mardi Gras Dance Contest. You can come up with a variety of ways to manage this and come up with the winner. Adults do like to look silly at family events. LOL
Hope these are a few ideas. I just LOVE fundraising events.
What are you planning for dinner? I'd consider a NOLA-inspired menu. Maybe shrimp with a remoulade rather than cocktail sauce. Or gumbo instead of a soup course. (If it's plated dinner.) Crab cakes for a starter/app. If doing a buffet you can intersperse a few NOLA/Southern items, like maybe a blacked fish or chicken, and/or corn bread.
