Parades canceled. Bars closed. Crowds suppressed. Mardi Gras joy is muted this year in New Orleans as authorities seek to stifle the coronavirus' spread. Instead, people have been driving and walking past the thousands of homes decorated as "house floats" – many adorned with giant artist-crafted flowers, butterflies and fleurs de lis. Some homes have been decorated by professional artists hired by homeowners, while many were done by the homeowners themselves. "For me, it's a celebration of the spirit of New Orleans, that even though they canceled the parades, we still found a way to celebrate," said New Orleans resident Ilana Scherl, snapping pictures of house floats along St. Charles Avenue, the street that typically serves as one of the city's main parade routes. "It's a classic New Orleans move … when you're knocked down, you get up and figure out a way to use creativity to make a fun experience," said New Orleans resident Diego Rose. Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is the annual pre-Lenten bash celebrated along much of the Gulf Coast – with the biggest celebration in heavily Catholic New Orleans. Last year's revelry is now believed to have contributed to an early surge that made Louisiana a Southern COVID-19 hot spot. The city has said Bourbon Street would be closed to cars and pedestrians from 7 p.m. until 3 a.m. each day leading up to Mardi Gras, with limited access to residents, business employees, hotel guests and restaurant patrons. On Mardi Gras itself, which is Tuesday, the closure will begin at 7 a.m. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2TwO8Gm Bloomberg Quicktake brings you live global news and original shows spanning business, technology, politics and culture. Make sense of the stories changing your business and your world. To watch complete coverage on Bloomberg Quicktake 24/7, visit http://www.bloomberg.com/qt/live, or watch on Apple TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Fire TV and Android TV on the Bloomberg app. Have a story to tell? Fill out this survey for a chance to have it featured on Bloomberg Quicktake: https://cor.us/surveys/27AF30 Connect with us on… YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Bloomberg Breaking News on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BloombergQuickTakeNews Twitter: https://twitter.com/quicktake Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quicktake Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quicktake