Mardi Gras, also known as Carnival or Carnaval, dates back thousands of years to celebrations of spring and fertility rites. It reflects the custom of consuming rich, fatty foods in preparation for fasting and today it’s celebrated in many countries around the world, traditionally on “Fat Tuesday,” the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent. In many places, it’s evolved into a week- or even a month-long or longer event with a chaotic flurry of colorful masks, beads, floats, and thick crowds.
While the parties in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Venice, Italy are the world’s most well-known celebrations, Mardi Gras is celebrated in more than 50 countries, each with its own unique events and tradition. In the U.S., you’ll find many fabulous destinations to join in the festivities, including these.
New Orleans, Louisiana
Outside of Venice and Rio, New Orleans hosts the most famous Mardi Gras celebrations in the world, attracting hundreds of thousands of people each year to watch parades, catch the beads and coins tossed from elaborate floats, indulge in buttery king cake, dance in the streets, and down quite a few Hurricane cocktails. While the actual day of Mardi Gras is on Fat Tuesday, the celebrations kick off weeks before. It all starts on the Twelfth Night, January 6, with the fun increasing as it gets closer to the actual day. Multiple parades take place across the city on the weekends leading up to Fat Tuesday, with various themes like the Intergalactic Krew of Chewbacchus, a sci-fi-themed Mardi Gras parade.
Lafayette, Louisiana
For those who prefer to avoid the raucous crowds and high prices in New Orleans but still want to experience a traditional Louisiana Mardi Gras celebration, Lafayette is a great alternative. The party is definitely happening, but it won’t be as over-the-top as what you’ll find in the Big Easy. The events start two weeks before Fat Tuesday, and include chicken runs, balls, and parades, with the final day a big party from morning until night with multiple parades rolling throughout the city.
Universal Orlando, Florida
A more than two-month-long Mardi Gras party takes place at Universal Orlando in Florida each year. While it’s a lively event, the atmosphere is family-friendly, allowing kids who aren’t ready for Bourbon Street to join in the fun. Think costumed characters and New Orleans brass bands, lots of delicious foods, and nightly parades, complete with beignets and beads. There’s a different theme every year, so in addition to the classic floats like gators and riverboats, in 2023, the theme is “Mythical Reals of Mardi Gras” so you’ll see fantastical creatures like unicorns and dragons too.
San Diego, California
On the west coast, San Diego offers one of the most impressive Mardi Gras celebrations. Hosted in the Gaslamp Quarter downtown, it combines Valentine’s Day, Mardi Gras, and the Lunar New Year for a three-day event. A massive parade takes place with live music and extravagant floats, with celebrations throughout the neighborhood. Restaurants and bars provide special discounts, drop their cover charges and sometimes hold their own unique festivities as well.
Mobile, Alabama
While New Orleans may host the most famous Mardi Gras celebration, Mobile, Alabama puts on the oldest in the U.S. dating back to 1703. The city prides itself on being the birthplace of the American version of the Carnival tradition and features several parades over the two weeks that lead up to the big date, with the streets filling with dancers, marching bands, and a wide range of performers. The Mobile Carnival Museum is the place to go to learn more about the history of the event here.
Galveston, Texas
Galveston, Texas hosts the third biggest Mardi Gras celebration in the country, drawing over 300,000 spectators to the island to enjoy over 30 concerts, nearly two dozen parades, 20 balcony parties, and five masked balls. The balcony parties are a highlight, taking place at the Jockusch Building which offers the chance to sip refreshing drinks while enjoying the best vantage point for a view of the main parade streets. The last parade travels through downtown on Fat Tuesday, featuring eight marching bands along with all parading Krewes.
St. Louis, Missouri
The Mardi Gras event in St. Louis is one of the biggest outside of New Orleans, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city’s hub for the celebration, the historic Soulard neighborhood. There are parades, balls and other festivities that take place throughout the town too. It all begins on January 6 and runs through Fat Tuesday, with nonstop fun, including a pet parade, a wiener dog derby, and some of the best New Orleans-style food you’ll find outside of the Big Easy itself, including lots of jambalaya and beignets. The Bud Light Grand Parade is the crown jewel of the Mardi Gras season here, starting from Busch Stadium and proceeding through the streets of Downtown South and the Soulard neighborhood, concluding at Anheuser-Busch Brewery.
