When it comes to Super Bowl parades, we don't usually see one until a team actually wins the game, but in New Orleans, they do things differently and that's a big reason why the city decided to hold a parade the day BEFORE the Super Bowl.

Massive security is in place in a city known for letting the good times roll, with lingering anxiety because of the Jan. 1 terrorist attack on Bourbon Street.

The parade is followed by the Absinthe Ball at the Fillmore. Its theme is Candy Hearts Run Free. There’s entertainment by the demonic ABBA cover band BAAB, plus aerialists, circus arts performers. The ball is open to the public, and the doors open at 9 p.m. Tickets are $82 via fillmorenola.com .

There is always, locals say, something going on in New Orleans. This weekend, it’s the Super Bowl. For the 11th time, the Big Easy will play host to the Big Game, adding another chapter in a long legacy of on-field drama and off-field debauchery.

Mardi Gras floats with bead-tossing revelers cruised through New Orleans on Saturday as the city celebrated its record-tying 11th Super Bowl hosting gig with a stout security presence after a New Year's Day attack.

Never a city short on color, New Orleans has been looking positively brightly adorned in recent days, as the city undergoes its makeover for Super Bowl LIX.