Mardi Gras in New Orleans is a time for no-holds-barred celebration — but the holiday also sparks fears over crime and fatalities, considering past years’ deaths. Each spring, over 1 million visitors flock to New Orleans for Carnival, more than quadrupling the city’s population in a manner of days. Mardi Gras in New Orleans is considered a SEAR 1 event, which is a rating of special events based on risk-assessment, meaning that the event will receive federal interagency support. The city of Mardi Gras Drunk Driving Accidents in New Orleans. Sadly, alcohol is involved in over 30% of all fatal car accidents. The New Orleans police department has its hands full right now as public intoxication arrests and DWI charges spike during Mardi Gras. Louisiana Mardi Gras DWI arrests peaked in 2009, reaching nearly 32,000 that season. The New Orleans Police Department wouldn’t share this year’s Mardi Gras staffing numbers with WWNO, but said it had “a comprehensive security plan in place for the Joan of Arc parade and all The Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office said it is sending 200 deputies to help patrol Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and the Louisiana State Police said it will deploy another 150 troopers to New Orleans Sunny skies and unusually warm weather fueled the street party fervor in New Orleans as the city celebrated Mardi Gras — Fat Tuesday — the annual, ebullient climax of Carnival season, marked WWL-TV presents the 2025 Mardi Gras Parade Tracker. We are New Orleans' premier Mardi Gras parade tracking service. We cover more parades in more areas of the city than any other app available on But this year, Johnson, a New Orleans-area native, did not know what to expect during Mardi Gras. Only two months ago, a driver raced a rented Ford F-150 truck down several crowded blocks of New Orleans now faces safety concerns for two major upcoming events, Super Bowl LIX and Mardi Gras. Authorities at the scene of an attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans on January 1. Local, state and federal officials are planning new and expanded security efforts in New Orleans for Mardi Gras and the Super Bowl this year, after a terrorist attack in the city killed 14 people The Mardi Gras Indians have become a central part of the city's celebrations, but there was a time when residents found them mysterious and outsiders even considered them dangerous. 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 may be an ancient celebration but there's always something new to discover. As the krewes announce their 2025 themes, throws and celebrity monarchs and riders, we'll post that information here It is rumored that it is bad luck to pick up beads from the floor. On the realistic side, the ground in New Orleans during Mardi Gras especially is not the place where you want to pick up throws from. Even if they are in tacked and great throws. the streets during mardi gras season get filled with beer, horse and dog manure. 7. Do Bring a Bag The weekend before Mardi Gras all the action is on this route, but Lundi and Mardi Gras most of the action is downtown. Uptown parades (the ones on St. Charles) are the ones with the big elaborate floats that throw all the beads, downtown parades (usually start in the Marigny but go through parts of the French Quarter, Treme and Bywater) are The Don’ts of Mardis GrasFrom Parades to Costumes to Crazy Drinking Mardi Gras in New Orleans has a lot going on that people can enjoy. To help people have a The Blake Hotel New Orleans is located on the corner of St. Charles Avenue and Poydras where all of the Uptown New Orleans Mardi Gras parades pass. Our property has a huge balcony on the second floor with a great view of the parades. We also will have viewing stands in front of the hotel to be on the street and up close to all the action. Our spacious rooms offer a place you can call home Pontchartrain rolls on the first Saturday of the official New Orleans Mardi Gras season with some of Mardi Gras’ most memorable floats, such as “Mr. Mudbug” (the world’s largest crawfish) and a giant fish dubbed “The Super Grouper.” Organized in 1975 and named aft read more » A woman resembles the severed head of Marie Antoinette as she walks in costumes during the Society of Saint Anne parade through Bywater and Marigny neighborhoods on Mardi Gras Day in New Orleans, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton) If you’re going to be visiting New Orleans during Mardi Gras, this tip is especially important. Never leave your drinks unattended. You should also never accept drinks from people you don’t know. Learn the layout of different areas. Before you head to New Orleans, you should already know the layout of the neighborhoods you plan on going to.
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