Due to the COVID-19 pandemic cancelling traditional Mardi Gras activities, New Orleanians are decorating their homes and businesses to resemble Mardi Gras floats.

On Wednesday, March 23, 2022 the New Orleans Jazz Museum will debut Lightning and Thunder: Big Chief Monk Boudreaux and the Golden Eagles. The exhibit celebrates the legacy of Big Chief Monk Boudreaux and the Black masking Indians through a series of colorful and dynamic portraits by acclaimed photographer Erika Goldring. Goldring first met Boudreaux shortly after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans in 2005. It was while on assignment for the Chicago Sun Times that Boudreaux invited her to walk with his family on Mardi Gras Day 2006. While Goldring travels extensively covering music related events, documenting the Golden Eagles has become a personal project for her. She hasn't missed a Mardi Gras with the family since 2006.