Mardi Gras New Orleans 2026: The Complete Guide to Carnival, Parades, and Fat Tuesday

Mardi Gras, French for "Fat Tuesday," is the culmination of the Carnival season, the period of feasting before the Christian season of Lent. Carnival begins each year on Twelfth Night, January 6, and grows in intensity until it peaks on Mardi Gras Day itself. In 2026 that final day falls on Tuesday, February 17, followed by Ash Wednesday, when the celebrations abruptly stop.

The season is organized by social clubs known as krewes, each of which stages its own parade, ball, or both. The final two weekends before Fat Tuesday are the busiest, with multiple large parades rolling every day. Rather than a single event, Mardi Gras is really a dense calendar of parades, parties, and traditions that you can dip into at any level.

The official colors of Mardi Gras are purple for justice, green for faith, and gold for power, and you will see them everywhere, from beads and decorations to the famous king cake, a ring-shaped pastry with a tiny plastic baby hidden inside.

Each parade is produced by a krewe with its own history, theme, and personality. Among the best known are the super-krewes, whose enormous parades feature celebrity monarchs and the largest floats: Endymion, which rolls through Mid-City on the final Saturday; Bacchus, which follows on Sunday; and Orpheus, which parades on the Monday night before Fat Tuesday, known as Lundi Gras.

On Mardi Gras Day itself, the historic Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club and the Rex Organization lead the morning with two of the oldest and most storied parades in the city. Other beloved krewes include Muses, famous for its hand-decorated shoe throws, and the all-female Iris. Each krewe brings its own signature "throws," the trinkets tossed from floats to the crowd.

Parade schedules are published well in advance, so plan which parades you most want to see and arrive early to claim a good viewing spot, especially for the super-krewes, which draw the largest crowds.

Catching throws is central to the Mardi Gras experience. Riders toss strings of beads, doubloons (stamped aluminum coins), plastic cups, and krewe-specific signature items into the crowd. The most prized catches include Zulu’s hand-decorated coconuts and the glittering, hand-made shoes thrown by the Krewe of Muses.

To catch throws, make eye contact with riders, wave, and call out; families with children and people who dress in the Carnival spirit often have the best luck. It is considered bad form to pick up throws that land on the ground before others, and you should never reach onto the street or between floats.

Beyond the parades, look for walking krewes, marching clubs, and the elaborate costumes that fill neighborhoods like the Marigny and Bywater on Fat Tuesday morning. Sampling a slice of king cake and, if you like, a locally brewed drink is part of soaking up the tradition.

The main Uptown parade route runs along St. Charles Avenue and turns onto Canal Street downtown. The Uptown stretch of St. Charles is the most family-friendly, with a relaxed, festive atmosphere where locals set up ladders, chairs, and coolers for the day. This is the best area for first-timers and families to enjoy the full spectacle of the big parades.

Note that the largest floats do not travel through the narrow streets of the French Quarter. Bourbon Street and the Quarter are the epicenter of the adult, party-heavy side of Mardi Gras, which is lively and crowded but very different in tone from the Avenue. Choose your neighborhood to match the experience you want.

Reserved grandstand seating and ticketed bleachers are available along parts of the route and near Canal Street for those who prefer a guaranteed spot, and formal Carnival balls are ticketed private events. Everything else, including watching from the public sidewalks, is free.

New Orleans is served by Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, about a 30-minute drive from downtown. During Carnival, many streets along the parade routes close to traffic for hours, so driving near the action is impractical; the historic St. Charles Avenue streetcar also suspends service along parade routes during rolls.

Stay in the Central Business District or the French Quarter to be within walking distance of the downtown route, or along the Uptown/Garden District stretch of St. Charles to be right on the family-friendly parade path. Hotels book up months ahead and charge premium rates for the final Carnival weekend and Fat Tuesday, so reserve early.

Dress in layers, as February in New Orleans can swing from chilly to mild, and wear comfortable shoes for long hours of standing and walking. Bring cash for street vendors, plan bathroom stops in advance since public facilities are scarce, and always follow posted parade-day rules about ladders, ropes, and personal space.