Yes! Schools in Mobile, Alabama, are closed for a week, too, for what's called a "Mardi Gras Break."

And, luckily, you don't get the huge crowds in small towns like mine, perhaps in part because we have five parades, and the crowds are spread out over the two pre-Mardi Gras weeks in which they occur.

I knew about the week-long school closures in the Mardi Gras belt of Louisiana and Alabama, but didn't know about Mississippi, though it makes sense. Much appreciate your filling in that gap, both for readers of this story and for future reference if I write about this next year.