Mardi Gras in New Orleans

Mardi Gras in New Orleans is a season, not a day. Carnival begins on Twelfth Night, 6 January, and ends on Fat Tuesday. In 2027 that is 9 February. The king cake, the official food, appears from Twelfth Night, with a plastic baby hidden inside; whoever finds it buys the next cake.

The parades are run by krewes, social clubs with their own history. Rex first paraded in 1872 and set the colours of Mardi Gras: purple, green and gold. Zulu was founded in 1909 by Black Creole and African American New Orleanians who had been excluded from Rex. On the last weekend, the super krewes ride: Endymion on Saturday, Bacchus on Sunday and Orpheus on Monday, Lundi Gras. In 2027 parades roll every night from 3 to 9 February. On Mardi Gras Day, Zulu goes first, starting at 8 a.m., and Rex follows. Riders throw beads, doubloons and cups, and Zulu hands out its famous coconuts. Mardi Gras Indians, groups of uptown and downtown tribes in elaborate costumes, also parade on the day.

How to go. The parades are free, and no tickets are needed to watch. Grandstand seats on the route are sold, and the balls are mostly invitation-only or ticketed. Hotels on the parade routes fill up first, so book early. Walking or biking is easiest, because transit routes are limited during parades. Open containers are allowed, but glass bottles are not. Wear layers and closed-toe shoes.

Mardi Gras is not just beads on Bourbon Street. The neighbourhood traditions, carried by Black communities, are the other side of it; the Backstreet Cultural Museum is a good place to learn about them. For crowd numbers and a comparison with the other big carnivals, see the seven biggest carnivals.