Mardi Gras is the worldwide celebration of food, booze, and fun the day before the Christian season of Lent begins, when millions of people around the world practice penitence and a frugal diet to prepare for Easter. Mardi Gras is a huge cultural tradition in South America and western Europe, where it’s called Carnival (literally meaning “no meat”).
Closer to home, the city of New Orleans has become synonymous with Mardi Gras and hosts the country’s most notorious Fat Tuesday celebration. In 2013, the city’s loud partying became a legal issue when Harry Shearer, the bass player for the fake rock group Spinal Tap, filed a lawsuit against a Mardi Gras DJ. Shearer claimed that he was on a Bacchus-themed float for a parade and was stuck in front of a loudspeaker for four hours, which caused him to suffer from hearing loss and tinnitus.
Negroni Week
New Orleans, for its part, has recognized the seriousness of hearing loss and in 2014, it took part in Negroni Week, an annual charity effort that takes places throughout the entire country. New Orleans chose the New Orleans Musicians’ Assistance Foundation as their charity, an organization that promotes hearing loss prevention with its Safe Sounds program. Safe Sounds provides hearing tests, education, and even guidance about safe decibel levels for bars and restaurants.
