Mardi Gras floats with bead-tossing revelers cruised through New Orleans on Saturday as the city celebrated its record-tying 11th Super Bowl hosting gig with a stout security presence after a New Year's Day attack.

Reminders of the attack were omnipresent around the "Big Easy" this week, where tourists paused to take in a Bourbon Street memorial to the 14 killed and a law enforcement presence of astonishing proportions stood watch.

But the city known for its good cheer kept the party rolling at a first-of-its-kind Super Bowl parade ahead of Sunday's showdown between the reigning Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.