Tips for attending a Mardi Gras Parade in New Orleans

| Mardi Gras Parade in New Orleans – Bucketlist Item |

Have you ever been lucky enough to end up accomplishing one of your bucket list items without even knowing until you are in the midst of it? A few years ago, I ended up being able to cross “New Orleans & Mardi Gras” off my list and what an exhilarating experience it was, particularly because I thought I was just going for a work conference, I had no idea it was Mardi Gras time until I was there!

Let’s talk about the parades during Mardi Gras and the weekends leading up to the final day. Generally, I am not a fan of parades, I avoid our local ones at all costs. But the Mardi Gras parades blew me away when we saw them. The details, vibrancy, and artfulness that went into them were outstanding. Couple that with the anticipation of trying to catch a doubloon or two, and the throbbing beat of the marching bands and you have an experience you just won’t forget.

Each parade is put on by a Krewe, which is an organization that is responsible for the planning and coordination of the Mardi Gras Parades. These Krewes, some of which are decades old, have a unique history and story.

I didn’t realize that Mardi Gras is more like a season rather than a one-day event. There are parades for several weekends and days leading up to Fat Tuesday. The actual weekend before Mardi Gras was crazy busy and the hotel rooms were expensive. A good tip if you want the excitement of Mardi Gras and not the cost associated with it. Go two weekends before Fat Tuesday or the week leading up and leave the weekend before.

If you plan on watching the parades, here are some tips that the locals told us.

Each parade is themed, based on the Krewe.
Watch for the throws (beads, doubloons, cups, etc) that are tossed. Wait until it is safe to pick them up from the ground or your fingers might get stomped! Also, pay close attention to the doubloons (coins) as different parades have different themed doubloons.
As it gets closer to Fat Tuesday, the parades usually get bigger and grander.
People reserve their seats early along the parade route, it is common to see step ladders set up along the route for better viewing. Don’t touch unattended seats, the space is reserved.
Restaurants along the parade route are busy, so plan accordingly.
The parades take different routes.
The St. Charles Street Car shuts down early on parade days, so plan to get back to your destination early, or be prepared to be re-routed on alternative transportation. (This tip we learned from personal experience – it wasn’t mentioned in any guide book).

A few pleasant observations:

The city of New Orleans does an amazing job with clean up right after the parades each night. The next morning you would have never guessed how much litter was on the ground because it is spotless.
I expected there to be a lot of ‘out of control’ people, but we didn’t come across any unruliness. In all honesty, the 20-year-olds that one sees on Granville Street in Vancouver on any given Friday or Saturday night are much rowdier.

For further information:

For a List of Parade Schedules: mardigrasneworleans.com/schedule.html
Official New Orleans Tourism Website: neworleansonline.com

Wondering when the big Mardi Gras Fat Tuesday celebration takes place?

The dates vary each year as it takes place the day before Ash Wednesday, which is always 46 days before Easter.

Here are some upcoming dates:
2023 – Feb 21
2024 – Feb 13
2025 – Mar 4
2026 – Feb 17