New Orleans Mardi Gras Guide: Parades, Dates and Tips From Locals

Mardi Gras day falls on February 9, 2027, but the best of Carnival is the long weekend before it. Arrive by the Thursday to catch Muses, stay through Fat Tuesday, and watch most parades on St. Charles Avenue in the Garden District rather than near Bourbon Street. Book a hotel six to twelve months out. Expect prices to double or triple and multi-night minimums. Bring a bag for beads, comfortable shoes and a costume for Tuesday.

Travon’s office is on Royal Street in the French Quarter, so Mardi Gras is not an abstract event for us. It is the week our street fills with brass bands and our neighbors build costumes for months. And we can tell you the biggest misunderstanding visitors have. They think Mardi Gras is a drunken street party on Bourbon Street. That party exists. But the real Mardi Gras happens along the parade routes Uptown, where families set up ladders, grills and folding chairs and spend days catching beads and cheering bands. It is one of the most joyful public celebrations in America, and much of it is free.

• Feb 9, 2027Mardi Gras day, Fat Tuesday
• Jan 6Twelfth Night, when Carnival starts
• DozensOf parades in the final two weeks
• FreeTo watch every parade

When is Mardi Gras?

Mardi Gras, French for Fat Tuesday, is the day before Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. Its date depends on Easter, so it moves between early February and early March. In 2026 it fell on February 17. In 2027 it is February 9. In 2028, February 29.

Carnival season starts on January 6, Twelfth Night. That is when bakeries start selling king cake, and a few early groups parade. The big parades roll in the final two weekends and the days between, building to Fat Tuesday. If you want the full experience, come for the last five days: from Thursday night to Tuesday.

The parades you should see

Parades are organized by private clubs called krewes. Each has its own theme, floats, throws and traditions. Here are the big ones in the final week:

Parade schedules change from year to year. Download a parade tracker app, run by local media, which shows real-time float locations so you know when a parade will reach you. That alone will save hours of waiting.

Where to watch: St. Charles, not Bourbon

Most major parades follow the Uptown route, starting near Napoleon Avenue, running down St. Charles Avenue through the Garden District, and ending downtown near Canal Street. Big parades are not allowed in the narrow streets of the French Quarter.

So where should you stand? It depends on what you want:

• Uptown, around Napoleon to Louisiana Avenue: family-friendly, local, with space to set up. Our favorite area.
• Lower Garden District, near Lee Circle area: busy, energetic, easier to reach from downtown hotels.
• Canal Street and near the CBD: very crowded, rowdier at night, but closest to French Quarter hotels.
• Mid-City, for Endymion: a big neighborhood party along Orleans Avenue and Canal Street, with people camping out for hours.

Local families set up chairs and ladders along the route hours before a parade, and for the busiest days, sometimes the day before. There are rules: ladders must be set back from the curb, and you can’t rope off public space. Be friendly, ask before standing in front of someone’s setup, and you will likely be adopted by a family for the night.

Beads, throws and how to catch them

Riders on the floats throw beads, cups, doubloons, stuffed animals, light-up toys and special handmade items. The most prized throws are signature ones: a decorated shoe from Muses, a purse from Nyx, a painted coconut from Zulu. Riders hand those to people they choose. Waving, smiling, wearing something festive and yelling “Throw me something, mister!” all help. So does bringing a child. Kids get spoiled.

Bring a reusable bag. Don’t pick up beads from the ground in the middle of the street while floats are moving; people get hurt that way. And here is something visitors often don’t know: on St. Charles, nobody flashes for beads. That is a Bourbon Street tourist thing, it is illegal, and police do make arrests.

Fat Tuesday itself

On Mardi Gras day, the city wakes up early. The Zulu parade rolls in the morning, followed by Rex, then truck parades with hundreds of decorated floats. The best part of the day for many locals, though, is the costumes. In the French Quarter and the Marigny, walking groups like the Society of St. Anne parade on foot in spectacular homemade costumes, with brass bands. Go to Frenchmen Street and the Marigny on Tuesday morning to see them.

In some neighborhoods, the Mardi Gras Indians, also called Black Masking Indians, come out on Mardi Gras morning in elaborate beaded and feathered suits they have hand-sewn all year. It is a deeply rooted Black New Orleans tradition. Encounters happen in neighborhoods like Treme and Central City, not on a fixed parade route. Be respectful and give space.

At midnight on Tuesday, police on horseback sweep Bourbon Street to clear the crowds. Lent has begun. Carnival is over.

King cake

King cake is a ring of sweet dough, usually braided, with cinnamon, glazed and covered in purple, green and gold sugar. Some come filled with cream cheese, praline or fruit. A small plastic baby is hidden inside. Whoever finds it has to buy the next king cake or host the next party. Bakeries sell them only from Twelfth Night to Fat Tuesday. Try at least two. Everyone in town has a favorite bakery, and everyone will tell you.

What to wear

Comfortable, closed-toe shoes that you don’t mind getting sticky. Layers, because a sunny 70-degree afternoon can turn into a damp 45-degree night. A small crossbody bag to keep your phone safe. And anything purple, green and gold. For Fat Tuesday, go all in on a costume. Wigs, sequins, capes, feathers and homemade creations are everywhere, and locals take costuming seriously. You will feel more out of place in jeans than in a tutu.

Where to stay

Book early, ideally six months to a year ahead for the final weekend. Hotels raise rates sharply and often require three- or four-night minimums. The French Quarter is convenient for nightlife but far from Uptown parades and very loud. The Garden District and Lower Garden District put you near the main route. The CBD and Warehouse District are a good compromise, close to both. Note that streets near parade routes close for hours, and taxis and rideshares can’t reach some areas. Our guide to where to stay in New Orleans compares neighborhoods.

Getting around

Walk. The St. Charles streetcar line stops running along the route during parades. Rideshare prices surge and pickup points move. Plan to walk at least a mile each way to your viewing spot, and know which streets will be blocked. Wear comfortable shoes. Parades can run late, and the crowds after a night parade move slowly.

Bathrooms, food and survival tips

This is the unglamorous truth: bathrooms are hard to find. Many families buy a portable toilet wristband from a business along the route, which is worth every dollar. Restaurants usually require customers to buy something.

Bring snacks, water and a small folding stool. Eat breakfast early; restaurants fill fast. Carry ID and a little cash. Dress in layers. February evenings can be chilly and damp. And pace yourself. Carnival is a marathon, not a sprint.

Safety

Mardi Gras is generally safe and very family-oriented along the Uptown route, with a heavy police presence. Crowds bring the usual city risks: pickpockets, drunk people and lost children. Agree on a meeting spot with your group. Write your phone number on young kids’ arms. After the deadly vehicle attack on Bourbon Street on New Year’s Day 2025, the city stepped up security around the French Quarter and major events, with more barriers and police. Follow posted rules and expect bag checks in some areas.

Mardi Gras with kids

Yes, bring them. Uptown, St. Charles Avenue is full of kids sitting on ladders with special seats built on top, catching more throws than adults. Daytime parades on the weekend are best. Family Gras in Metairie, across the parish line, is another kid-friendly option. Avoid Bourbon Street and Canal Street late at night.

Beyond the city: Cajun Mardi Gras

In the small towns of Cajun Country, about two to three hours west, Mardi Gras looks completely different. In the Courir de Mardi Gras, costumed riders on horseback travel from farm to farm, begging for ingredients for a communal gumbo and chasing live chickens through fields. Towns like Mamou, Eunice and Church Point hold courirs on or around Fat Tuesday. It is rural, rowdy and nothing like New Orleans.

A short history

Carnival came to Louisiana with French settlers in the late 1600s, and celebrations with masked balls and street revelry grew through the 1700s and 1800s. The modern parade tradition began in 1857, when a group calling itself the Mistick Krewe of Comus staged a torchlit procession with floats. The word krewe stuck. Rex, the King of Carnival, first paraded in 1872 and gave Mardi Gras its official colors: purple for justice, green for faith and gold for power.

The flambeaux, men who carry flaming torches between the floats in night parades, are a living link to those early processions, when torches were the only light. Many flambeau carriers come from families who have carried them for generations. They dance and twirl their torches, and it is customary to toss them a few dollars as they pass. Do that.

Zulu, founded by Black New Orleanians in 1909, began partly as a satire of the exclusive white krewes and grew into one of the most beloved parades of the season. Krewes like Muses and Nyx, founded in the 2000s and 2010s, opened Carnival to new generations of women riders.

Mardi Gras on a budget

The parades are free, and so is the best part of the experience. The expensive parts are lodging and flights. To save money, stay outside the core, in Metairie or across the river, and drive or ride in early. Book a rental with friends to split costs. Eat at neighborhood po’boy shops instead of sit-down restaurants. Bring your own drinks and snacks to the route; it is legal to drink outdoors in plastic cups in much of the city, though not in glass. Skip the grandstand seats and reserved viewing packages. A spot on the neutral ground with a local family is better anyway. Our budget travel tips have more ideas.

Frequently asked questions

Plan your Carnival now

1. Book a hotel near the Uptown route or in the CBD for Thursday to Wednesday.
2. Download a parade tracker app and note the krewes you want to see.
3. Plan a costume for Tuesday. Everyone dresses up.
4. Read our 48 hours in New Orleans and New Orleans food guide for the rest of your trip.