Parades before Lent fill February every year, and many of you shared your photos from the festivities that feature outlandish pageantry and celebrations in South America, Europe, and the U.S. Here’s a little peek at the slew of enthusiastic crowds, floats, and costumes in 2013.

See more photos of this season’s events from these galleries: Venice Carnival | Rio Carnival | Mardi Gras

Photos from Kinesthesis, RIOTUR | ASCOM, larry_antwerp, Brandon.Robert, and uwekulick.