Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday." The celebrations leading up to it typically begin between the end of January and the beginning of February. Mardi Gras ends the day before Ash Wednesday and is a way to prepare for Lent, when Catholics resolve to give up their vices, including drinking alcohol and eating fatty foods. There are many traditional games that have been turned into Fat Tuesday games, while other games are specific to the holiday.

This game is played the same way as musical chairs, only using hats. You begin with one less hat than players. The person running the game starts playing some music, and the hats are passed from one person's head to the next. When the music stops, whoever is not wearing a hat is out. Take away a hat every round until there is only one person left.

Players stand in a circle with a foot of space between them. The first player throws a balloon up in the air with his spoon, aiming it toward the next player. The other players tell the player trying to catch the balloon that he'll never catch it. When someone drops the balloon, they are out and the circle gets smaller. The game continues until one person remains.

Each guest gets an index card with a famous person written on it taped to their back when they enter the party. They cannot see who they are and must ask other guests "yes" or "no" questions to try to figure out who the name on their back is. Everyone who successfully guesses who they are gets Mardi Gras beads as a prize.

Line up two teams of eight to 10 people. Hand each team a large key attached to a long, 70-foot string. The key must be passed up, down or through different pieces of the clothing they're wearing. The first team to get the key threaded through at least one piece of all of its members' clothes wins.

To be crowned king or queen of the party, guests must showcase a talent. The judges are picked randomly from the crowd and vote Roman style, thumbs up or down. The person who gets the most thumbs up wins, is crowned monarch of the party and gets a lot of Mardi Gras beads to wear and distribute to the rest of the party guests.

Give guests three strands of Mardi Gras beads. If another guest catches anyone saying "Mardi Gras," that guest must give the person who caught them a strand of their beads. The person with the most beads at the end of the party wins.