Mobile Carnival poster from 1900. Floats lining up for an Order of Inca parade in 2007. Mardi Gras is the annual Carnival celebration in Mobile, Alabama.It is the oldest official Carnival celebration in the United States, started by Frenchman Nicholas Langlois in 1703 when Mobile was the capital of Louisiana. Meanwhile, Alabama news site AL.com reports that the Boeuf Gras Society, a mystic society started in Mobile in 1710, kicked off a 1711 parade down Dauphin Street with a giant bull’s head on Mobile's Mardi Gras celebration was the first in America and remains an important part of Alabama's Gulf Coast culture. Mardi Gras was first observed when Mobile was a French colony, a century before the founding of Alabama. Today, thousands of Alabamians and visitors come to Mobile annually to participate in the various parades, which are [] Mobile founded a secret organization (Masque de la Mobile) in 1704, identical to the present Mardi Gras krewes. It lasted until 1709 when it was abolished. The “Boeuf Gras Society” was founded in 1710 and marched from 1711 to 1861. While Mardi Gras is commonly intertwined with New Orleans, the true history of where the celebrations started lay in Mobile, AL, around 1703, making it an over 300-year-old tradition. Whether you live around Daphne, Fairhope, or other Alabama communities, the Mardi Gras tradition remains alive and well near Spanish Fort, AL. The public can also purchase tickets to the Mobile Area Mardi Gras Association's Grand Marshal's Ball on the Friday before Mardi Gras ($50), its Junior Monarch Royal Luncheon on Saturday ($40) and Start your Mardi Gras adventure in Mobile at the Mobile Carnival Museum. The Mobile Carnival Museum highlights the history of Mardi Gras in its true birthplace - Mobile, Alabama. The museum features 14 galleries, video presentations, a pictorial hallway and an interactive float area - all in a restored historic mansion. Despite what you might have heard, Mardi Gras didn't get its start in New Orleans. You see, Mardi Gras began in Mobile, Alabama – a port city with close proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, located In 1703, Mobile, Alabama was the first city recorded to have the oldest organized Mardi Gras in the U.S., according to Curious Cuisiniere. "The first documented celebration of modern-day carnival Experience: Carnival, the extended Mardi Gras season, is Mobile, Alabama’s, greatest living tradition. First introduced to the United States in Mobile by the French in the early 18 th Century, Mobile is the original home to Mardi Gras in the US. The celebrations are increasing grander and more diverse with each passing year. Start your Mardi Gras adventure in Mobile at the Mobile Carnival Museum. The Mobile Carnival Museum highlights the history of Mardi Gras in its true birthplace - Mobile, Alabama. The museum features 14 galleries, video presentations, a pictorial hallway and an interactive float area - all in a restored historic mansion. News For local news story in the Mobile Alabama Bay Area, this is where you want to come. Things To Do; Mardi Gras This is for all things Mardi Gras related along the Gulf Coast. Local Businesses If you live in the Mobile, Alabama region and you’re looking for a certain type of business, this is the category for you. City of Mobile Mardi Gras 2025 Parade Schedule: Note: Use News 5’s Mobile Mardi Gras 2025 Parade Routes guide to learn about each parade’s travel path. Friday, February 14. 6:30 p.m. — Conde For Veet's bar on Dauphin Street, the start of Mobile's Mardi Gras parading season brings one of the venue's busiest, and longest, days of the year. Lawrence Specker | LSpecker@AL.com MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — Although most Mardi Gras parades in Mobile use one route, there are multiple routes that parade-goers should know before heading out the door. 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 Mardi Gras — as everyone in Alabama routinely reminds you — originated not in New Orleans but in this charming city on Mobile Bay, in 1703 to be exact. And while not receiving the publicity of its sister city 140 miles to the west, it easily rivals New Orleans in intensity and fun. For a modern twist on Southern fare, visit The Noble South in Mobile, AL, where locally sourced ingredients shine in every dish. Listen to the Sounds of Mobile. Music is woven into the very fabric of Mobile. The city’s musical history is as rich as its food, from the brass bands of Mardi Gras parades to the soulful rhythms of jazz and blues. Mardi Gras This is for all things Mardi Gras related along the Gulf Coast. Local Businesses If you live in the Mobile, Alabama region and you’re looking for a certain type of business, this is the category for you. Do Some Good Mobile There are countless non-profits in the Mobile Alabama area that do good things. So, this section is to Despite what you might have heard, Mardi Gras didn't get its start in New Orleans. You see, Mardi Gras began in Mobile, Alabama – a port city with close proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, located
Articles and news, personal stories, interviews with experts.
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | |
![]() | ![]() |