New Orleans Social Clubs or Gentlemen's Clubs play a very large part in the Mardi Gras celebration. The oldest is The Boston Club (third oldest in the United States), founded in 1841 as a place for its members to congregate and partake in the fashionable card game of Boston , Rex Royalty is chosen from among its ranks. 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. Mardi Gras 2025 is Tuesday, March 4. We're counting down the minutes. As Mayor of the great City of New Orleans, I invite you to visit our city to experience the excitement of Mardi Gras!" What is the History of Mardi Gras? Mardi Gras originated in New Orleans the day Iberville stood on our land in 1699. Since then, balls have become a tradition of the season to represent members of society. From the past to the present, Mardi Gras is full of traditions. Mardi Gras balls began in the 1700s and still exist today. Mardi Gras in New Orleans is a one to a three-month stretch of the year in which the streets come alive with music, art, and costumed revelers. Beginning on Twelfth Night, January 6, the best season of the year is upon us: king cake, bead-tossing, and parading begins and only increases as we make our way toward Mardi Gras Day. Here's everything you need to know about Mardi Gras in New Orleans, including the best places to stay, eat and drink. This annual Carnival ball/music festival at Mardi Gras World follows the New Orleans is cranking up the volume for Mardi Gras 2025, and there’s excitement in the air for what is often hailed as the greatest free show on earth. This iconic festival, culminating on Tuesday, March 4, is deeply rooted in Christian and Roman Catholic traditions but has evolved into a secular celebration. When are the 2025 Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans? There will be plenty of parades around New Orleans for the last few days of the carnival season leading up to Mardi Gras on Tuesday March 4 In New Orleans, it is a time of colorful pageantry and raucous celebrations that honor the diverse cultural influences of the city. From traditional brass bands to vibrant parades, the festival is a living testament to the community’s deep roots in French, Spanish, and Creole heritage. The Dates for Mardi Gras 2024, 2025, and 2026. In the 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. Mardi Gras is a Christian holiday and popular cultural phenomenon that dates back thousands of years to pagan spring and fertility rites. It's most famously celebrated with parades in New Orleans 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. NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Event officials announced the return of the popular Algiers Mardi Gras Festival for its fifth-annual Mardi Gras soiree. The 2025 Facebook Instagram Mail Pinterest Twitter New Orleans celebrates Mardi Gras season with parades, including the Krewe of Bacchus featuring Shaquille O'Neal. To add to the event's luster, festival queens from around the state, and music Algiers Mardi Gras Parade and Festival. The Algiers Mardi Gras Parade and Festival will be back on Saturday, February 1 at New Orleans Federal City in Algiers. Entertainment will include Brass-A-Holics, Amanda Shaw, The U.S. Marine Reserve Jazz Band and more. The parade starts at 9 a.m. and the Festival begins at 10 a.m. Laissez les bon temps rouler! New Orleans is always great to visit but Mardi Gras season is special! Make sure to catch the Endymion and Bacchus parades, and the Zulu parade on Mardi Gras day. Mardi Gras Day is March 4, 2025. Fat Tuesday is the last day of the Carnival season as it always falls the day before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. The official start of Carnival Season is Twelfth Night, January 6. Book your hotel room now and Reserve your Mardi Gras package. Want to know more about Mardi Gras in New Orleans? Whether you celebrate Mardi Gras for its connection to Christian traditions, its cultural significance, or simply for the fun and revelry, it remains an enduring and beloved festival. In places like New Orleans, Mardi Gras has become a symbol of the city’s identity, representing unity, diversity, and the joy of living life to the fullest. As New Orleans is cranking up the volume for Mardi Gras 2025, and there’s excitement in the air for what is often hailed as the greatest free show on earth. This iconic festival, culminating on Historical Origins of Mardi Gras in New Orleans. The origins of Mardi Gras in New Orleans can be traced back to the city’s French and Spanish colonial histories. In 1699, French-Canadian explorer Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville arrived at a plot of ground 60 miles south of New Orleans and named it “Pointe du Mardi Gras
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