Bucket List / Experience Goals
Party At Mardi Gras In New Orleans
Still to do
Catch beads thrown from giant floats as brass bands march past and the whole city parties in purple, green and gold.
The adventure
The floats come down St Charles Avenue lit up like fairground rides, riders in masks leaning over the side and throwing strings of beads into a crowd that's been waiting for hours. Then a brass band comes through, then marching dancers, then another float, and it goes on late into the night.
Mardi Gras has been celebrated in New Orleans since the 1800s, and the krewes that run the parades spend all year on them. Purple, green and gold hang from every balcony in the French Quarter, people eat king cake and nobody goes to bed early. Fat Tuesday itself is the wildest day, with costumes everywhere, before everything stops dead at midnight for the start of Lent.
Why it’s epic
- Super-krewe parades such as Endymion, Bacchus and Orpheus.
- Purple, green and gold everywhere, the carnival's official colours.
- Brass bands, king cake and the French Quarter in full swing.
What it is
New Orleans' carnival season builds over weeks to Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent, with dozens of parades run by social clubs called krewes.
How to do it
Fly in for the final weekend, when the biggest parades roll. Book accommodation well in advance.
Top tip
Bring a bag for the beads and throws, and stand on the St Charles Avenue route for a more family atmosphere.
Need to know
- The date moves each year with Easter.
- Hotels sell out and prices rise sharply; book months ahead.
- Watch your belongings in the crowds.
Plan this trip
- Rough cost
- £2,000 to £5,000 per person, including flights from the UK
- Time needed
- A long weekend
- Best time to go
- February or March, ending on Shrove Tuesday
- Fly into
- MSY airport
Accommodation during carnival is the big cost.
Make it happen
Why it’s on my list
Not done yet. If you’ve done it and have tips, tell me about it.
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