Beads, boob-flashing and booze-fueled parades — such is the glory of Mardi Gras.

And as the annual festivities roll around each February, celebrities fly south to New Orleans soak up the Gras gaiety. This year, like every year, the Big Easy entertained a string celebrity-studded parades — put on by the krewes of Endymion, Bacchus and Orpheus, social clubs that coordinate the elaborate floats and costumes — during the lead up to Fat Tuesday.

Kelly Clarkson served as the Grand Marshal of Endymion on Saturday, waving from atop a float before performing in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome amid purple, green and gold lights, marking the first major event hosted at the arena since the Super Bowl blackout.

“I’m the Grand Marshal of Mardi Gras!!! Most fun ever!!!!!… Yeahhhhh! (sic) Endymion Parade,” she tweeted excitedly, adding that she and fiancé Brandon Blackstock ”had so much fun leading the Mardi Gras parade!”

The following day, actor G.W. Bailey of TNT’s Major Crimes reigned as the king of the Bacchus parade, a honor held by comedian Will Ferrell last year. And Monday afternoon, Nick Cannon will ride as a celebrity monarch in the krewe of Orpheus, along with krewe co-founder Harry Connick Jr., CSI: NY star Gary Sinise and award-winning actress Mariska Hargitay.

Last year, Shutter Island actress Patricia Clarkson reigned over the all-women krewe of Muses, rock-pop band Maroon 5 rode with the krewe Endymion, and music superstars Bret Michaels and Cyndi Lauper teamed up with Orpheus.

While some celebrities revel Mardi Gras from atop a festooned flat, tossing countless trinkets and beads to the cheering crowds below, others — like Girls Gone Wild partier Luke Wilson and beads-horder Kate Hudson— mix in with the partying masses right on the streets of the Big Easy.

So in honor of Fat Tuesday, a day devoted to frivolous partying in the final hours before Ash Wednesday — which kicks off the Catholic Lenten season of sacrifice — Celebuzz looks back at some celebrities who have gotten into the Mardi Gras spirit in the past.