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The first record of Mardi Gras being celebrated in Louisiana was at the mouth of the Mississippi River in what is now lower Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, on March 2, 1699. Iberville, Bienville, and their men celebrated it as part of an observance of Catholic practice. The date of the first celebration of the festivities in New Orleans is unknown. New Orleans was established in 1718 by Bienville. By the 1730s, Mardi Gras was celebrated openly in New Orleans, but not with the parades we know today. In the early 1740s, Louisiana's governor, the Marquis de Vaudreuil, established elegant society balls, which became the model for the New Orleans Mardi Gras balls of today. Mardi Gras is a tradition that dates back thousands of years to pagan celebrations of spring and fertility, Ten years later, the first recorded New Orleans Mardi Gras parade took place, a The first Mardi Gras celebrations are held in New Orleans, Louisiana. New Orleans held its Mardi Gras celebrations despite the fact that Hurricane Katrina had devastated much of the city with The Argument for New Orleans. Those who believe New Orleans gets the crown say the first Mardi Gras took place on March 3, 1699, when French explorers Bienville and Iberville put down stakes on the west bank of the Mississippi River, about 60 miles downriver from the site of what would become the Crescent City. Mardi Gras Past and Present Traditions from the past that live on today. Mardi Gras has been celebrated in New Orleans since the explorer Iberville first set foot here on Mardi Gras Day 1699. In French colonial days, wealthy members of Creole society threw lavish Mardi Gras balls from Twelfth Night (Jan. 6) to Fat Tuesday Eve. The first use of the words "Mardi Gras" in Louisiana was in 1699, when Pierre le Moyne, Sieur d'Iberville, named a bend in the river "Pointe du Mardi Gras," in honor of that year's Fat Tuesday. However, Carnival was rarely celebrated in the new colony—the early people of the Big Easy found life in the mud-caked huts and thatched roofs of New 4: When was the first Mardi Gras? The first Mardi Gras parade was held in New Orleans on Feb. 24, 1857 by the Krewe of Comus. They began the tradition of presenting a parade with floats and following it with a ball for the krewe and their guests. Mardi Gras Dates. 5: What is the significance of the Mardi Gras colors, and where did they come from? The very first American Mardi Gras celebration took place in March 1699 after two French settlers landed near present-day New Orleans and brought their traditions with them. The French colonists who followed over the proceeding decades introduced the "Galette des Rois," or king cake, which is how it became a New Orleanian symbol. Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday, which takes place March 4, marks the party’s climax and the end of Carnival Season on the Gulf Coast. The conclusion falls the day before Ash Wednesday and is seen as a final day of feasting and revelry before the solemnity of Lent. According to the Mardi Gras New Orleans, Mardi Gras celebrations were common in the city by the 1730s, although the first recorded Mardi Gras parade didn’t float through the New Orlean’s The first Mardi Gras parade was held in New Orleans by the Krewe of Comus in 1857, and in 1870, Mardi Gras’ second Krewe, the Twelfth Night Revelers, began tossing “throws” (more on these iconic parts of Mardi Gras later). Click on the Mardi Gras krewes below for further information about the krewe and to see their usual route for each parade. Please note: Events and activities are subject to change without notice. Stay tuned to the site for further info. When is Mardi Gras 2025? This year, Mardi Gras, which translates from French to "Fat Tuesday," is on March 4. Ash Wednesday is on March 5, the day marking the start of the 40-day Lenten season The Basics of Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras is the biggest celebration in New Orleans, culminating on Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. Known for its spectacular parades, vibrant costumes, and deep-rooted traditions, this celebration is a bucket-list experience. Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana is an iconic celebration that welcomes nearly 1.5 million visitors each year, so it’s no surprise that planning your first visit to this world-famous holiday can be quite the daunting task. We had the joy of visiting our first Mardi Gras in 2023 and came up with a list of the top things that we think every Mardi Gras goer could benefit from knowing before The first documented appearances of the Indians dates back to 1746, there are 40 active tribes that participate in parades and events during Mardi Gras, Super Sundays and St. Joseph’s Day On the night of February 24, 1857, under gaslit torches in New Orleans's warehouse district, a Mardi Gras tradition was born. At the intersection of Julia and Magazine Streets, the Mistick Krewe The History of New Orleans Mardi Gras . Although the date of the first organized celebration of Mardi Gras in New Orleans is debatable, the 1730 account of one Marc-Antoine Caillot (a young clerk sent to Louisiana by the French Company of the Indies) mentions a celebration with music and dance, mask-wearing and costumes—including cross-dressing. The first Mardi Gras celebration in America was celebrated in 1703 in the settlement of Fort Louis de la Mobile. Mardi Gras was celebrated soon after the city of New Orleans was founded in 1718
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