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The first American Mardi Gras took place on March 3, 1699, when French explorers Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville and Sieur de Bienville landed near present-day New Orleans, Louisiana. They held a The first year that Mardi Gras was celebrated on a grand scale in Galveston was 1871 with the emergence of two rival Mardi Gras societies, or "Krewes" called the Knights of Momus (known only by the initials "K.O.M.") and the Knights of Myth, both of which devised night parades, masked balls, exquisite costumes and elaborate invitations. According to the Mardi Gras New Orleans, Mardi Gras celebrations were common in the city by the 1730s, although the first recorded Mardi Gras parade didn’t float through the New Orlean’s The very first American Mardi Gras celebration took place in March 1699 after two French settlers landed near present-day New Orleans and brought their traditions with them. The French colonists who followed over the proceeding decades introduced the "Galette des Rois," or king cake, which is how it became a New Orleanian symbol. 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. Bienville also established "Fort Louis de la Louisiane" (which is now Mobile) in 1702. Mardi Gras is a festive day celebrated in France on Shrove Tuesday (the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday), which marks the close of the pre-Lenten season. The French name Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday, from the custom of using all the fats in the home before Lent. Mardi Gras was observed for the first time in the New World by French pioneers at Twenty-Seven Mile Bluff, the first settlement of Mobile way back in 1703. And it only grew from there. Here’s the rundown on Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, and how it came to be. March 2025 holiday schedule:Mardi Gras, Daylight saving time, Originally part of a Christian tradition, king cakes What does Mardi Gras mean? In French, Mardi means “Tuesday” and gras means “fat.” That’s why the day is also referred to as Fat Tuesday. The word originated in France and was what people used to describe the day before Ash Wednesday, when they would binge on rich foods such as meat, eggs, milk, and cheese before Lent began. It's that time again! Time to revisit the centuries-old argument, “Which came first: Mardi Gras in Mobile or New Orleans?” Did the first Carnival happen in Louisiana in 1699 downriver from where New Orleans would be founded, or did it occur in Alabama in 1703 in the new settlement of Mobile? Here’s what we found out. The Argument for New The first Mardi Gras “krewe” took to the streets in 1857, when the Mistick Krewe of Comus, “a group of New Orleans businessmen, decided to invent a more civilized celebration” after The first Mardi Gras parade and the first Krewe. After decades of suppression, the first official (read: recorded) Mardi Gras parade took place in 1837. We refer to these classics as cult TV French for Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras is always on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. This year it will be held on Tuesday Feb. 13. Mardi Gras is only one day but the Mardi Gras season, also known as the carnival season, can last for weeks culminating on Fat Tuesday. Many people assume that New Orleans is the birthplace of Mardi Gras. However, many So how did Mardi Gras come to Pensacola? The first recorded Mardi Gras celebration in Pensacola took place in 1699, when a group of French explorers arrived in the city. They were greeted by the Spanish governor, who held a grand celebration in their honor. This event is thought to be the first Mardi Gras celebration in the United States. It is reported that the first celebration of Mardi Gras in New Orleans occurred in 1730 when a French settler named Marc-Antoine Caillot and a small group of his friends dressed up in makeshift costumes and crashed a wedding. This celebration was unrecognizable from the Mardi Gras of today. Mardi Gras was observed for the first time in the New World by French pioneers at Twenty-Seven Mile Bluff, the first settlement of Mobile way back in 1703. And it only grew from there. The tradition of Mardi Gras was introduced to New Orleans by French settlers who arrived in the city in the late 17th century. The first recorded Mardi Gras celebration in the city took place in 1699, when French-Canadian explorer Jean Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville arrived at a spot along the Mississippi River that would become New Orleans and held a small celebration to mark the occasion. Two additional dates of historic importance in New Orleans Mardi Gras lore are 1875, the year the State of Louisiana declared Mardi Gras a legal state holiday, and 1889, the year of the first documented reference of women exposing their breasts at the event, reported by a Times-Democrat reporter who observed, “the degree of immodesty The first Mardi Gras krewe, the Mistick Krewe of Comus, formed in 1856 and became known for its eye-catching floats, masked balls, and anonymity for krewe members. “The second Mardi Gras krewe, the Twelfth Night Revelers, formed in 1870 and was the first krewe to introduce Mardi Gras “throws.” Mardi Gras arrived in North America as a French Catholic tradition with the Le Moyne brothers, who came to defend France's claim on Louisiana. The very first American Mardi Gras took place on March 3, 1699, when French explorers Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville and Sieur de Bienville landed near present-day New Orleans. They held a small celebration
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