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Mardi Gras in New Orleans

New Orleans is a city that loves to make merry. It's a city of parties and festivities. And without doubt, Mardi Gras is the most picturesque and exiting celebration in New Orleans. The days of Mardi Gras in New Orleans are the best days to visit this city.

Carnivals appeared in Italy and France, and then the tradition followed the Creoles to New Orleans. Carnival comes from a Latin word roughly meaning "farewell to flesh". It is a Roman Catholic tradition to give good Christians the opportunity to have fun and eat as much as they could before Lent.

Mardi Gras is both a day and a time period. It's French for "Fat Tuesday", the day before Ash Wednesday, when Lent begins. Mardi Gras day can be any Tuesday from 3 February to 9 March, depending on the date of Easter.

Future Mardi Gras dates:
February 8, 2005    February 28, 2006    February 20, 2007   
February 5, 2008    February 24, 2009    February 16, 2010   
March 8, 2011        February 21, 2012    February 12, 2013

Mardi Gras is celebrated in many countries, but nobody celebrates it with such splendor as New Orleans. Thousands of people participate in New Orleans Mardi Gras parades, and the number of floats often exceeds twenty.

There is no one parade or theme to Mardi Gras. Each parade is organized by Krewes - Mardi Gras societies, which charge dues and other fees to offset the cost of putting the parades and private balls and parties on.

These are just a few of the major parades of New Orleans Mardi Gras (times and dates are subject to change):

Rex (founded 1872): Rex, the original Mardi Gras parade, follows Zulu down St. Charles. It features the King of Carnival and some of the classic floats of Carnival. Various independent walking clubs often precede the parade along its route.

Iris (founded 1917): This women's krewe follows traditional Carnival rules of costume and behavior. It parades on the Saturday afternoon before Mardi Gras along Napoleon Avenue to St. Charles Avenue to Canal Street and then along Convention Center Boulevard.

Endymion (founded 1967): This became one of the early "super krewes" in the 1970s by featuring a glut of floats and celebrity guests like Alice Cooper, Charo, Tom Jones, Dolly Parton, John Goodman, or Chuck Norris (Jason Alexander was the 2002 Grand Marshal). In 2001, the parade had 28 "super floats." It runs Saturday evening down Canal Street to St. Charles Avenue, then on to Howard and Girod streets and into the Superdome for a big party.

Bacchus (founded 1968): The original "super krewe," Bacchus was the first to host international celebrities. It traditionally runs the Sunday before Mardi Gras from Napoleon Avenue to St. Charles Avenue to Canal Street, then along Tchoupitoulas Street and into the Convention Center.

Orpheus (founded 1994): One of the youngest krewes, it was founded by a group that includes Harry Connick Jr. and tries to adhere to classic krewe traditions. It is popular for its many amazing floats and for the generosity of its throws. The parade is on the evening of Lundi Gras and follows the same route as Bacchus.

Zulu (founded 1916): Zulu is the liveliest parade, with float riders decked out in woolly wigs and blackface. They carry the most prized of New Orleans Mardi Gras souvenirs: gold-and-black-painted coconuts. The parade runs on Mardi Gras morning from Claiborne Avenue to Jackson Avenue to St. Charles Avenue to Canal Street, and then along Galvez and Orleans streets to Armstrong Park.

New Orleans Mardi Gras routes ar shown on our Map page.