Is Mardi Gras only on Fat Tuesday?

No. Mardi Gras in New Orleans is a 2-week season with parades daily from the Saturday before Fat Tuesday and multiple parades per day in the final week. Fat Tuesday is the climax, not the entirety. Many experienced attendees prefer the major parades the weekend before (Endymion, Bacchus, Orpheus) over Fat Tuesday itself, which is the busiest and most crowded day.

Yes: parades and street parties are free to attend. The throws (beads, cups, etc.) are thrown from floats at no charge. The costs are accommodation, food, drinks, and any ticketed balls or private events (these are formal affairs at £50–300+ per person and are separate from the public street party experience).

What is Bourbon Street actually like during Mardi Gras?

Loud, very crowded, and tourist-focused. The bars on Bourbon are open continuously, drinks are carried in plastic cups (legal on the street), and the crowd peaks at 500,000 on Fat Tuesday. Locals largely avoid Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras and concentrate on Frenchmen Street, the Marigny, and the Uptown parade routes. Both experiences are valid: Bourbon Street is the spectacle, Frenchmen is the music.

What is Frenchmen Street and why do locals prefer it?

Frenchmen Street is in the Faubourg Marigny neighbourhood, immediately east of the French Quarter. It is the live music centre of New Orleans: 10+ venues packed into 2 blocks with jazz, brass band, funk, and blues playing simultaneously most nights. During Mardi Gras it is packed but less commercial than Bourbon Street. Free admission to most venues; drinks are cheaper.

When should I book a hostel for Mardi Gras?

By September or October for peak week (the final 5 days before Fat Tuesday). If you are attending earlier in the season: the first week of parades: November booking is sufficient. The Quisby, Site 61, and Auberge NOLA Hostel are the top-rated French Quarter options and fill fastest.

How do I get to New Orleans?

Louis Armstrong International Airport (MSY) is 17km from the city. Uber costs £20–30 into the French Quarter; the local bus runs for £2 but with more connections. No direct UK flights: connect via Atlanta (Delta), New York JFK (American, Delta), or Miami (American). Book 3–4 months ahead for Mardi Gras period.

Street carnival / parade festival · United States

Mardi Gras

Name: Mardi Gras
Start: 2027-02-02
End: 2027-02-16
Location: New Orleans, United States

Two weeks of parades, brass bands, and bead-throwing across New Orleans: North America's most concentrated annual street party.

DatesEarly February – Fat Tuesday, 16 February 2027

LocationNew Orleans

Attendance1,400,000 over the full season; 500,000+ on Fat Tuesday

EntryFree (parades and street parties). Ticketed balls and events: £50–300+.

Annual. Fat Tuesday is 47 days before Easter Sunday. 2027: 16 February. 2026 dates have passed.

What Is Mardi Gras?

Mardi Gras in New Orleans is not one night. It is a two-week season of parades, music, and street parties that builds towards Fat Tuesday: the final day before Lent. The city runs multiple parades daily in the final two weeks, each operated by a different krewe (the private social club that organises it). These parades wind through different neighbourhoods at different times; the schedule is published by the city from December. There are 70+ parades in the final two weeks alone.

The two areas most relevant to backpackers are the French Quarter and the Uptown parade routes. Bourbon Street in the French Quarter is the tourist centre: loud, commercial, and packed with bars that run until 6am. The Uptown parades along St Charles Avenue are the largest and most community-oriented: Endymion, Bacchus, and Orpheus are the major krewes with floats 20–30 metres long and riders throwing beads, cups, and trinkets (collectively called throws) to the crowd lining the route.

The practical reality that most travel content misses: Mardi Gras requires comfortable footwear and a willingness to walk. On Fat Tuesday, a person attending multiple parades and street events will cover 8–15 miles. The city is navigable on foot in the French Quarter and Marigny districts; Uptown parades require the streetcar or a taxi/Uber. The St Charles Avenue streetcar runs throughout Mardi Gras and is the single most useful piece of transport information for first-timers.

Budget expectations should be reset. Hotel and hostel prices in New Orleans triple during peak Mardi Gras week (the final five days before Fat Tuesday). Beds in the French Quarter fill in September for the February season. The food and drink pricing, however, is stable: po'boys, red beans and rice, and crawfish are priced normally throughout the season. Bourbon Street bars charge tourist rates; the bars in the Marigny and Bywater districts are cheaper and frequented by locals.

Information verified March 2026

Where to Stay for Mardi Gras

Party hostels within reach of New Orleans's main celebrations. Ranked by guest rating.

Find Party Hostels for This Event →Pub crawls and nightlife in New Orleans →

Getting There

Louis Armstrong International Airport (MSY) is 17km from the French Quarter. Uber is the most straightforward option into the city (£20–30). The airport bus connects to the city for £2 with a change at Union Passenger Terminal. Within New Orleans, the St Charles Streetcar is the single most useful line: it connects the French Quarter to Uptown where the major parades run.

Louis Armstrong International Airport (MSY) to French Quarter / Downtown

Uber / Taxi·25–40 minutes·£20–30

French Quarter (Canal Street) to Uptown / St Charles Avenue parades

St Charles Streetcar·20–30 minutes·£1.25 per ride

Atlanta (ATL) to New Orleans (MSY)

Flight·1 hour 30 minutes·£60–120 return

What to Expect

Day-by-day breakdown

Week before Fat Tuesday

Major krewe parades begin: Uptown is the action

The largest parades: Endymion (Saturday), Bacchus (Sunday), Orpheus (Monday, founded by Harry Connick Jr): run in the week before Fat Tuesday. Endymion runs through Mid-City and is the biggest parade in the world by float length and throw quantity. Choose a spot on Napoleon Avenue or St Charles Avenue and arrive 2–3 hours early to secure a viewing position.

Fat Tuesday

The final day: city-wide, all day

Fat Tuesday begins at midnight and does not stop. Rex, the King of Carnival, parades down St Charles Avenue from noon. Zulu parades in the morning with coconuts as the most coveted throw in Mardi Gras. The French Quarter shuts to vehicles; Bourbon Street is pedestrian-only and at full capacity from 10am. The Bacchanalian climax happens at midnight when the NOPD clears Bourbon Street to mark the start of Lent: this moment is worth witnessing.

Budget Breakdown

Realistic costs per person · Verified March 2026

ItemLowHigh

Dorm bed (per night, peak Mardi Gras week)

French Quarter hostels triple in price. Book by October. The Quisby and Site 61 are consistently top-rated.

£30

£80

Food (per day: New Orleans cuisine)

Po'boys £6–10. Crawfish by the pound £10–15. Red beans and rice from local spots £5–8. Avoid Bourbon Street restaurants for value.

£10

£25

Drinks (bars, per night)

Bourbon Street bars are tourist-priced. Frenchmen Street in the Marigny and bars in the Bywater are significantly cheaper and better for live music.

£15

£40

St Charles Avenue streetcar (per journey)

£1.25 per ride. Takes you between the French Quarter and the Uptown parade routes. Exact change required.

£1

£2

Viewing ladder (parade rental)

Families bring step ladders with children's seats on top for better views at parades. Rentable near parade routes. Optional but useful for shorter visitors.

£10

£20

Flights to New Orleans (return, from UK)

No direct UK–New Orleans flights. Connection via New York, Atlanta, or Miami. Book 3–4 months ahead.

£350

£600

Prices in GBP. Festival week prices may be higher than standard rates. Prices verified March 2026.

Practical Tips

Wear comfortable shoes: you will walk 10+ miles on Fat Tuesday

The parades cover multiple neighbourhoods. Bourbon Street to the Uptown parade routes is 3 miles by foot or a 20-minute streetcar ride. Choose footwear that can survive 12 hours of city walking, possible rain, and the general chaos of 500,000 people in the streets.

Bring a bag for throws: you will collect them

Beads, cups, stuffed animals, doubloons (coins), and other throws are launched from parade floats. A lightweight bag or backpack fills quickly. Catching a Zulu coconut on Fat Tuesday is the most celebrated throw in Mardi Gras: they are not thrown, they are handed directly from the float.

Book accommodation in September or October

The French Quarter hostel cluster fills by October for peak Mardi Gras week. The Quisby (rated 10.0), Site 61 (9.9), and Auberge NOLA (9.7) are the top three by rating. Outside peak week (the final 5 days before Fat Tuesday), prices normalise significantly.

The French Quarter is safe in crowds; exercise care in quieter areas

Bourbon Street and the Quarter during Mardi Gras are busy, well-policed, and generally safe. The areas beyond the Quarter: particularly north of Rampart Street late at night: require more awareness. Stay in well-lit, populated areas after midnight.

Download the Mardi Gras parade schedule app before you arrive

The city of New Orleans publishes the official parade schedule. Several third-party apps (Mardi Gras New Orleans, WWLTV) track live parade positions using GPS. This is the most practical tool for deciding which parade to catch and where to stand.

Stay Hydrated

Alternate alcoholic drinks with water throughout the day and night. Heat, dancing, and alcohol combine quickly. Most venues sell bottled water cheaply.