The biggest Mardi Gras carnivals outside the US in 2011

There are still a couple of months to go until Mardi Gras, but when it comes to one of the biggest parties of the year, it doesn’t hurt to start planning in advance. Especially if you are thinking of seeing how folks in other parts of the world celebrate Mardi Gras.

The New Orleans festivals is iconic, but what happens in other cities on March 8, 2011. At its origins, Mardi Gras was (and still is, for many people), a religious holiday, so decadence is not usually a part of Mardi Gras festivities in some places.

But whatever your inclinations, there are surely some places around the world where they celebrate Mardi Gras just the way you’d like. Here are the biggest Mardi Gras carnivals outside the US in 2011. …