When New Orleans was established in 1718, Mardi Gras was celebrated not with elaborate parades and bead-throwing, but with elegant balls and parties. Though times have changed since the 1700s, annual celebrations of Mardi Gras are still going strong in many areas of the U.S.

It is that time of the year again: Mardi Gras. On a campus with numerous students from either side of Mississippi, the debate wakes from its hibernation: which Mardi Gras is better? When asking which city...