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PHOTOS: A front row seat to the largest gay Mardi Gras ball in New Orleans

Scores of men, women, queens, and everything in between turned out for the 50th anniversary of the Krewe of Armenius last weekend at Mardi Gras World in New Orleans.

Founded in 1968, the Krewe of Armenius is one of the oldest and largest gay Mardi Gras krewes in the city. Each carnival season, it holds an extravagant “bal masque” to celebrate its history and carry on its traditions, which are still going strong after five decades.

This year’s festival was co-hosted by none other than Varla Jean Merman and Ryan Landry and featured lavish costumes, colorful floats, shirtless men, champagne, hors d’oeuvre, and no shortage of glitter, sequins, feathers, and confetti.

Tickets to the ball are a hot commodity and can be difficult to come by. Luckily, we got a front row seat to the celebration.

Scroll down for photos from the very special night…

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