The origins of Mardi Gras (French for Fat Tuesday), can be traced to Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries through the French House of the Bourbons. The first American Mardi Gras was celebrated in Mobile, Alabama, in 1703, but has since become a staple of New Orleanian culture throughout the 19th century. In the modern era, Mardi Gras is a celebration of culture marked by a multitude of parades run by various social Krewes. For more information on all things Mardi Gras, this site answers many questions regarding the origins and culture of New Orleans Mardi Gras. 

The Mardi Gras season begins on Twelfth Night, January 6th, and runs until Fat Tuesday, which has a variable date but is always the day before Ash Wednesday. While the date itself is variable, the season often runs until mid-February to early March. In 2024, Mardi Gras day falls on February 13th, but many parades and festivities occur in the weeks leading up to Mardi Gras day. 

Mardi Gras is celebrated throughout the Coastal South, with parades and balls occurring in towns and cities across southern Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. In New Orleans, festivities can be found throughout every neighborhood and surrounding parishes. 

You may have noticed someone in your lab or office bring in a large, ring-shaped cake covered in green, yellow, and purple colorings - in other words, a king cake! King cake season runs from January 6th (also known as Twelfth Night or the Epiphany in the Christian faith) to Mardi Gras day, and it is uncouth to eat them at any other point in the year. This tradition is believed to have been brought over from France in the 1870s as a simple ring of dough with a small amount of decoration.

The basic king cake is often a bready base flavored with cinnamon and sugar, topped with icing and/or sprinkles in the traditional Mardi Gras purple, green, and gold (which stand for justice, faith, and power, respectively). However, many bakeries have their own spin on the classic king cake flavorings and experiment with different flavors of cream cheese and fruit fillings. The King Cake Hub partners with over 20 local bakeries that each offer a multitude of flavors of king cakes, including some vegan and and gluten free options. The best king cake is often the topic of intense local debate, with various brackets and tasting opportunities popping up every year. 

Most king cakes will have a small plastic (or porcelain, sometimes even gold) baby nestled somewhere in the cake. Tradition holds that the person who receives the slice with the baby must bring the next king cake to keep the delicious cycle going! 

For some reading material on the diverse nature of these sweet delicacies, Matt Haines wrote The Big Book of King Cake, entirely dedicated to celebrating king cakes and the bakers who make them. 

Yes! You can find an up-to-date parade schedule here. The best way to keep up with the parades is to download the WDSU Parade Tracker app on your phone. This app will tell you when parades begin to roll separated by neighborhood, with live parade tracking and weather updates. 

Have kids? Hosting family? Not in the mood for raunchy behavior? No problem! Mardi Gras has something for everyone, and that includes plenty of family-friendly events. The most family-friendly areas to enjoy the Uptown parades are between Napoleon Avenue and Jackson Avenue. Here is a local guide to enjoying Mardi Gras with kiddos! Additionally, Metairie hosts "Family Gras" two weekends before Mardi Gras. This free event has an abundance of face painting, games, and concerts, with various parades rolling directly next to the festivities, promising a fun and festive time appropriate for all ages.   

We highly encourage you to plan meals ahead of time; restaurants fill up quickly during the thick of the season and often close on Lundi Gras (Monday) and Mardi Gras. Most shops, including grocery stores, are closed at least on Mardi Gras Day. Additionally federal services such as the US Post and the courts are closed - that's how seriously we take our festivities! 

Mardi Gras parades are always free to view, so while you do not need to account for tickets to the parades, you should keep some cash on your person, as bathrooms often come with a small price. 

Due to the highly dense nature of Mardi Gras, it is not uncommon for pickpocketing to occur. Many parade-goers utilize fanny packs to keep their items close at hand and under close watch. Some recommended fanny pack items are: 

• Cash 
• One credit card
• A copy of your Insurance card 
• A form of ID 
• Tulane Splash Card 
• Portable charger 
• Hand sanitizer
• Band-aids

You've done all the necessary preparation, the day has come, and now you're finally watching as parades roll past your eyes. What now? Now, you can focus on catching throws from the floats, which can include, doubloons, beads, cups, trinkets, toys, and packaged snacks. 

Beads are by far the most common parade throw and we guarantee that you will catch far more than you know what to do with. Beads are variable in design and quality, with the most common being a simple plastic beaded necklace, with fancier beads being made of glass beads or including Krewe ensignias and lights. You don't have to keep every bead that you throw, and we highly recommend leaving beads that dropped on the ground on the ground due to sanitary reasons. There will be plenty more to catch!

Doubloons are some of the longest-standing throws, first introduced as Rex medallions in 1884. These plastic coin throws depict the parade theme on one side and the Krewe's emblem on the other, and have cemented themselves as a Mardi Gras collector's items. Exercise caution if you are picking a doubloon up off the ground; many paradegoers stomp on doubloons to claim then, so be sure to keep your fingers out of harms way!

Many Krewes have a highly sought-after specialty throw, that are individually decorated and require some ingenuity and luck to receive. Some of these throws include the Zulu coconuts, Muses shoes, Alla genie lamps, and many more. Check here for a complete overview of what throws to expect from each Krewe. If you don't get a speciality throw this season, don't worry; you can always try again next year! 

Costumes are encouraged to wear at all Mardi Gras Festivities! Visit some of the various costume shops around town for any variety of glitter and sequins you may be craving. You can pick a theme and dress to the nines or just add some purple, green, and gold glitter to your everyday wear, but be sure to engage and enjoy yourself and all the festivities!

Tulane University offers several shuttles to and from the uptown parade routes. The Green Wave Line will end service after the 5:08 PM stop at the Small Center. Tulane shuttle services will NOT run on Lundi Gras (Monday, Feb 12th) and Mardi Gras (Tuesday, Feb 13th). Regular shuttle service will resume on Wednesday, February 14th. 

For graduate students living downtown, the area will get very densely populated over the Deep Gras period and it will be very difficult to get into and out of the area with ease. Rideshares, such as Uber and Lyft, will be expensive due to high demand, and many of the usual RTA transit systems will have altered schedules and routes to accommodate this period. If you rely on any of these to get to and from campus, be sure you know what changes will be made and plan accommodations accordingly.  

When celebrating Mardi Gras, be careful to not get carried away with your actions. There is a heightened police and security presence in New Orleans during Mardi Gras to maintain safety and ensure (generally) orderly behavior. If you find yourself in trouble with the law over Mardi Gras season, it is not unlikely that you will be held in Orleans Parish Prison for an extended period of time, likely until after Mardi Gras day. If you get arrested, you may access the Tulane Legal Assistance Program attorney by calling 504-534-5406. 

• Parking Tickets: Everyone knows that the New Orleans traffic police presence is not a force to be reckoned with even during normal times, and parking scrutiny increases during this period. Always be sure that you are parking legally, without double parking, not parking on neutral grounds (medians), not blocking any driveways, not within 20 feet of a curb corner, not too far from the curb, or not parking on the parade routes within three hours of a parade. Always keep an eye out for temporary "no parking" signs
• Public Nudity: There is a myth that people must expose themselves to receive beads from floats or balconies; on occasion, some parade riders may ask for indecent exposure in exchange for beads. This is false and an unwarranted ask from riders. You will receive plenty of beads fully clothed. Additionally, though cheap bathrooms may be scarce, it is never appropriate to urinate in public, Many porta-potties require a small fee, so always have some cash or Venmo on hand for an easy (and fully legal) bathroom experience. 

There are certain parade etiquette rules to abide by. One of the most important is to never try to cross the street in between floats or marching bands. Not only can this be fatal, but it is disrespectful to the Krewes and the marching bands that are performing. The bands require the full street space, so listen to the chaperones when they tell you to get out of the way, lest you be hit by a stray drum mallet or trombone. The bands are often high school students who have been walking miles and miles of parade routes, so be respectful! 

Folding chairs and tables, as well as tents and ladders, are welcome on the sidewalk/neutral ground starting a few hours prior to the parades. If you plan to bring them, be mindful of regulations regarding where they can be placed (distance from the curb, placement in the streets). Many familes have areas established with tarps and tents, so be respectful if you need to cross another group's set up. It is often inevitable that you will need to share some space, so use this opportunity to make friends with your fellow parade goers! If you have a good spot you come back to every day or every year, you may be able make friends with other groups doing likewise. 

Be sure to attend parades in groups with a well-known and established meeting place, and have a plan set for if you get separated. Service gets slow during the festivities given the amount of people concentrated in a single area, so be sure to have clear communication with your group prior to getting to the route and an emergency plan for returning home. 

Drink responsibly! It is easy to get caught up in the moment and drink more than you intend to, so stay hydrated and make sure to eat filling and protein-dense meals! Even though New Orleans has no open container laws, no glass is permitted on the streets, so stick to cans and flasks.