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 is French for Fat Tuesday, the season is known as Carnival and begins on 12th Night, January 6th, and extends until midnight before Ash Wednesday. Club, or Krewe, balls start soon after, though most are extremely private, with their Kings and Queens coming from wealthy old families and their courts consisting of the season's debutantes. 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. Everything you need to know about Mardi Gras, including updated parade routes, traditions, the best places to get Mardi Gras beads, masks, king cakes and more! Here's everything you need to know about Mardi Gras in New Orleans, including the best places to stay, eat and drink. From king cakes and costumes to parades and parties, here's what to Webber, a New Orleans native, said Mardi Gras isn’t just a party but a cultural celebration in Louisiana. Mardi Gras allows people to celebrate before the Lenten season, where people become more 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 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 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 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. Selene follows Dionysus. Aphrodite at 6:00 p.m. in Houma. Saturday, March 1, 2025: NOMTOC at 10:45 a.m. on the Westbank. Iris at 11 a.m. in Uptown New Orleans The 2025 New Orleans Carnival season starts on Saturday, Jan. 6, and concludes on Mardi Gras, Tuesday, March 4.
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