Introduction : authentic New Orleans -- Processions and parades : Carnival krewes and the development of modern Mardi Gras -- "Of incomprehensible magnitude and bewildering variety" : the 1884 World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition -- Authenticity in black and white : the rise of tourism in the twentieth century -- Boosting the Big Easy : New Orleans goes global -- From a culture of tourism to a touristic culture : the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition and the holy trinity of New Orleans tourism -- A repertoire of authenticity : contested space and transformation of the French Quarter -- "The greatest free show on earth" : intimations and antinomies of commodification and Carnival -- Conclusion : the future of New Orleans.