The word "Mardi Gras" means "Fat Tuesday" in the French language. Celebrations include festivals, parades, dancing and feasting before the fasting starting on Ash Wednesday Days to Mardi Gras 2026. Tuesday, February 17th is day number 48 of the 2026 calendar year with 11 months, 16 days until Mardi Gras 2026. 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. This year’s Carnival season lasts 58 days, from 12th Night on Jan. 6 to Mardi Gras on March 4. But next year, Mardi Gras falls on Feb. 17. That means celebrations in 2026 will pack into just 43 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. The Mardi Gras Carnival 2025 traditionally features large festivals and celebrations across the United States. The highlight being the Mardi Gras 2025 parade in New Orleans, in Louisiana, which typical consists of people wearing masquerades and dancing in the streets. Mardi Gras Day 2025, 2026 and 2027. New Orleans is the center of US Mardi Gras tradition and festivity, with huge costumed parades and long-running “wild Mardi Gras Dates Until 2030. March 4, 2025; February 17, 2026; February 9, 2027; February 29, 2028; February 13, 2029; March 5, 2030; Why Does Mardi Gras Date Move Each Year? The reason why the Mardi Gras date switches up like a jazz tune every year is all about the lunar cycle and this thing called Easter! Zulu parades through New Orleans on Mardi Gras on Tuesday, February 21, 2023. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate) 2026: Feb. 17; 2027: Feb. 9; Mardi Gras Dates New Orleans’ BIG annual event, Mardi Gras, is always the day before Ash Wednesday which itself is always forty days before Easter (excluding Sundays). But to simplify matters for carnival historians–and for those eager to partake in the revelries to come–here is a list of dates for Mardi Gras celebrations back to 1947 as well as for the years through 2050. Pass a good Upcoming Mardi Gras Dates March 5, 2019 – February 25, 2020 – February 16, 2021 – March 1, 2022 – February 21, 2023 – February 13, 2024 – March 4, 2025 – February 17, 2026 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 Mardi Gras: On March 2, 1699, French-Canadian explorer Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville arrived at a plot of ground 60 miles directly south of New Orleans and named it "Pointe du Mardi Gras" when his men realized it was the eve of the festive holiday. By the 1730s, Mardi Gras was celebrated openly in New Orleans, but not Want to know more about Mardi Gras in New Orleans? Mardi Gras Tips Mardi Gras Krewes Mardi Gras Balls Mardi Gras Parade Throws Mardi 2026 . Feb. 17. 2027 . Feb. 9 Buy Mardi Gras World Tickets Today. 100% Guaranteed Tickets for all Upcoming Events at the Lowest Possible Price | New Orleans Events New Orleans Events 2025/2026 New Orleans is known for its love of festivals and celebrating the rich histories of the city and its background. On your holiday to New Orleans, be sure to look out for: Mardi Gras: the biggest carnival in the USA, Mardi Gras has to be seen to be believed. A spectacular combination of parades, music, food, and perhaps a drink or two, Mardi The Mardi Gras in New Orleans is on our bucket list! I’m starting to plan now. Mardi Gras is Feb. 17 next year. Ideally we will book an AirBNB on a streetcar line and use a JazzyPass to get around. We are planning to arrive about a week beforehand and return on Feb. 18th. This morning learn what goes into the making of the Mardi Gras parade floats. Since 1947, the artists of Blaine Kern Studios have been bringing Mardi Gras to life, creating many of the parade floats, from concept through completion. The colors, the lights, the music, the “joie de vivre” is all in one magical place, Mardi Gras World. Mardi Gras Parade Schedule. Mardi Gras is more than just a day, or one week, or even a weekend. Starting January 6 (Twelfth Night), New Orleans has parades in the weeks leading up to Mardi Gras Day, which falls on March 4, 2025. Take a look at the parades below and click on each to learn more. The Mardi Gras in New Orleans is on our bucket list! I’m starting to plan now. Mardi Gras is Feb. 17 next year. Ideally we will book an AirBNB on a streetcar line and use a JazzyPass to get around. We are planning to arrive about a week beforehand and return on Feb. 18th. February 22, 2026: New Orleans, LA----- Find more info and fellow travelers for the 2026 Mardi Gras Cruise in our First Responder Cruises Facebook Group!
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