Mardi Gras is the last and "biggest day of celebration," according to Mardi Gras New Orleans. When is Mardi Gras? In 2025, Mardi Gras falls on Tuesday, March 4. Because Easter can fall on any Sunday between March 23 and April 25, and Mardi Gras is always 47 days before Easter, Zulu and Rex can roll on any Tuesday between Feb. 3 through March 9. New Orleans weather on Mardi Gras Day can be unpredictable as well. It can be shorts weather in early February and you might very well need a coat in March. Mardi Gras, like Christmas, is a whole season - not just one day. That being said, Fat Tuesday is the biggest day of celebration, and the date it falls on moves around. You'll find that Fat Tuesday can be any Tuesday between Feb. 3 and March 9. Mardi Gras is Carnival's grand finale and is the day that ends the festive season. What do the Mardi Gras colors represent? According to Mardi Gras New Orleans, the holiday's colors have a meaning. Mardi Gras 2025 falls on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. 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 Mardi Gras is the last and "biggest day of celebration," according to Mardi Gras New Orleans. Carnival celebrations begin on "Twelfth Night," also known as the Epiphany, which falls on Monday Mardi Gras 2025 will fall on Tuesday, March 4. Mardi is the French word for Tuesday, and gras means “fat.” In France, the day before Ash Wednesday came to be known as Mardi Gras, or “Fat Easter can fall on any Sunday between March 23 and April 25, so Mardi Gras can be any day from February 3 to March 9. While Mardi Gras’s biggest and final celebration arrives on Fat Tuesday (March 4 this year), the Carnival season always begins on Epiphany , which is always on January 6. While New Orleans may be most known for Mardi Gras in the U.S. today, the tiny settlement of Fort Louis de la Mobile celebrated America’s very first Mardi Gras in 1703. Mardi Gras was celebrated in New Orleans soon after the city’s founding in 1718. The first recorded Mardi Gras street parade in New Orleans took place in 1837. The Mardi Gras date always varies a little, and in 2025, it will fall on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (In 2026, it’s much earlier, landing on February 17; in 2027, it’s even earlier, February 9.) Here’s everything you need to know about the Big Easy’s biggest party of the year. The best places to stay in New Orleans for Mardi Gras Q: Why does Mardi Gras fall on different dates each year? The date of Mardi Gras changes every year because it's connected to Easter, which can fall on any Sunday between March 23 and April 25. Mardi Gras day always takes place 47 days before Easter. When is Mardi Gras? Mardi Gras will always fall on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is always about seven weeks before Easter. A Mardi Gras reveler dangles a pair of beads off of a balcony on Bourbon Street in Mardi Gras will always fall on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is always about seven weeks before Easter. What is Carnival? Carnival marks a festive season that begins on Jan. 6 and is called It is on the last day of feasting right before Lent. This year it falls on Tuesday, February 12. It varies year to year. Every year, however it will always be on a Tuesday. After all, "Mardi Gras Mardi Gras will always fall on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is always about seven weeks before Easter. What is Carnival? Carnival marks a festive season that begins on Jan. 6 and is called METAIRIE, La. — Jefferson Parish officials have canceled Mardi Gras Day parades on Tuesday, March 4 due to weather, multiple sources tell WWL. Unlike most holidays, which fall on the same day each year, Mardi Gras’s date changes each year. Keep reading for all the details on when to celebrate Mardi Gras 2025 and how to celebrate at 1:30 PM | D'Iberville - North Bay Mardi Gras Association Parade. Monday, March 3 5:30 PM | Bay St. Louis - Mystic Krewe of the Seahorse Lundi Gras Parade. Tuesday, March 4, Mardi Gras 1 PM | Bay St. Louis - Krewe of Real People 1 PM | Biloxi - Gulf Coast Carnival Association Mardi Gras Parade Nothing about Mardi Gras is predictable, not even the date. Unlike Christmas or the Fourth of July, which always fall on the same calendar day, the only thing you can count on for sure is that Fat Tuesday will fall on, well, a Tuesday. Plus, we all know it’s the day before Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras) in 1997 is on Tuesday, February 11 (second Tuesday of February). Check also the date of Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras) in 2026 and in the following years. Toggle navigation Toggle search box Calendar-12.com 12 months a year, day by day
Articles and news, personal stories, interviews with experts.
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |