A look inside Gulf Coast Carnival Association’s Float Den

What exactly happ

ens to all those parade floats when the route ends?

For the Gulf Coast Carnival Association, Mardi Gras preparations for the next year start as soon as the floats finish the parade and roll into the Float Den.

“After the parade, all the floats come back in, and then we have a several-week process of coming in and making sure the floats are unloaded and put back in shape,” said Keith Williams, chairman for GCCA. “…if there are any repairs that need to be made.”

In the past few years, the “krewe” has been working to achieve a new look for its parade.

“What we have done is gone a little bit away from what our design on our floats have been, and going back to what I refer to as old school,” Williams said. “A little more glitz and glamor.”

While these floats will be filled to the brim come Fat Tuesday, there is only one man responsible for their creation.

Doug Blum takes off the hottest months of summer before returning to the Float Den in August – where his design comes to life.

He’s been creating Mardi Gras floats for 40 years.

“It’s just fun for me to do,” Doug Blum, float builder, said. “I enjoy building stuff like this and painting them and creating a part of it. I do what the captain tells me to do. That’s what I do.”

He’s created two new designs this year, which parade-goers will be able to see on Fat Tuesday in Biloxi.

All this effort is for more than just rolling through the route.

“It is about the parade,” William said. “but the excitement is to know that the families are getting together, enjoying each other, cooking out, waiting for the parade… after the parade they’ll eat some more. By the end of the day, everyone is pretty tired, but hopefully, they’ve enjoyed themselves.”