DIY Mardis Gras Photo Booth

Mardi Gras beads, masks, and hats on a white painted wooden table

What better souvenir to send home with your party guests than a picture of them letting the good times roll at your Mardi Gras festivities?

Find a friend willing to snap shots and either provide a Polaroid for instant pictures or use your or the guests’ cell phones. (If using yours, you can include their photo in a “thanks for coming” text you send the next day!)

Go glam with your photo booth background by hanging bed sheets (purple, gold or green if you have it). Paper chains are another easy fix: make 8’ chains (from floor to the top of your background area) using purple, gold and green construction paper. Another idea: Cover your backdrop wall with those same colors of post-it paper for a patchwork-style background. String colored lights in the background for extra sparkle.

Photographer assigned and backdrop created? Now you need props! Any or all of the following will bring the Mardi Gras spirit to life:

  • Masks masks masks – provide many and encourage guests to use their own if you’ve included mask-making in your party games.
  • Bead necklaces (especially gold, green, purple) – again, we’re going for quantity here!
  • Eye pencils for drawing mustaches, beauty marks and fancy eye-makeup.
  • Hats – think party fedoras, sparkly tiaras and crazy headdresses.
  • Feather boas.
  • Toy brass instruments.
  • Carnival glasses – buy cheap eyeglass frames at a dollar store, then decorate with sequins, feathers, beads, gold nail polish, etc.
  • Online templates for masks and other Mardi Gras-themed accessories are easily found via an Internet search.
  • Large cardboard cut-out frames to be held by the smiling groups being photographed.