What is Mardi Gras?
History of Mardi Gras – Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday in the French language. It signifies the last night of eating well before the fasting in the Lenten season. It can be linked to paganism, dating it back to thousands of years. It was celebrated to honor spring and fertility. In America, the first celebration of Mardi Gras was held on 3 March 1699 when French explorers Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville and Sieur de Bienville landed near New Orleans.
2020 Mardi Gras in New Orleans
Mardi Gras festival tips
Mardi Gras 2020 parade schedule
| Date | Parade | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Jan 2020 (Sat) | Fools of Misrule | 6:00 pm | Covington |
| 6 Jan 2020 (Mon) | |||
| Krewe of Joan of Arc | 7:00 pm | French Quarter | |
| Société Des Champs Elysée | 7:30 pm | French Quarter | |
| Phunny Phorty Phellows | 7:00 pm | Uptown New Orleans | |
| Funky Uptown Krewe | 7:05 pm | Uptown New Orleans | |
| 1 Feb 2020 (Sat) | Krewe of Chewbacchus | 7:00 pm | Marigny |
| 7 Feb 2020 (Fri) | Krewe Bohème | 7:00 pm | Marigny |
| 8 Feb 2020 (Sat) | |||
| Krewe du Vieux | 6:30 pm | French Quarter | |
| Krewedelusion | 7:00 pm | French Quarter | |
| Krewe of Bilge | 12:00 pm | Slidell | |
| Krewe of Poseidon | 6:00 pm | Slidell | |
| 9 Feb 2020 (Sun) | |||
| Krewe of Little Rascals | 12:00 pm | Metairie | |
| Krewe of Slidellians | 1:00 pm | Slidell | |
| Krewe of Perseus | 1:15 pm | Slidell | |
| ‘tit Rəx | 4:30 pm | Marigny | |
| Krewe of Pearl River Lions Club | 1:00 pm | Pearl River | |
| Krewe of Nefertiti | 11:00 am | New Orleans East | |
| 14 Feb 2020 (Fri) | |||
| Krewe of Cork | 3:00 pm | French Quarter | |
| Krewe of Excalibur | 6:30 pm | Metairie | |
| Krewe of Oshun | 6:00 pm | Uptown New Orleans | |
| Krewe of Cleopatra | 6:00 pm | Uptown New Orleans | |
| Krewe of Alla | 7:00 pm | Uptown New Orleans | |
| Krewe of Eve | 7:00 pm | Mandeville | |
| 15 Feb 2020 (Sat) | |||
| Magical Krewe of Mad Hatters | 5:00 pm | Metairie | |
| Krewe of Centurions | 6:00 pm | Metairie | |
| Krewe of Pontchartrain | 1:00 pm | Uptown New Orleans | |
| Krewe of Choctaw | 2:00 pm | Uptown New Orleans | |
| Krewe of Freret | 3:00 pm | Uptown New Orleans | |
| Knights of Sparta | 5:30 pm | Uptown New Orleans | |
| Krewe of Pygmalion | 6:15 pm | Uptown New Orleans | |
| The Mystic Knights of Adonis | 11:45 am | Westbank | |
| Krewe de Paws of Olde Towne | 10:00 am | Slidell | |
| Krewe of Titans | 6:30 pm | Slidell | |
| Krewe of Tchefuncte | 1:00 pm | Madisonville | |
| Krewe of Olympia | 6:00 pm | Covington | |
| Knights of Nemesis | 1:00 pm | Chalmette | |
| 16 Feb 2020 (Sun) | |||
| Krewe of Barkus | 2:00 pm | French Quarter | |
| Krewe of Atlas | 4:00 pm | Metairie | |
| Krewe of Kings | 5:30 pm | Metairie | |
| The Mystic Krewe of Femme Fatale | 11:00 am | Uptown New Orleans | |
| Krewe of Carrollton | 12:00 pm | Uptown New Orleans | |
| Krewe of King Arthur | 1:00 pm | Uptown New Orleans | |
| Krewe of Dionysus | 1:00 pm | Slidell | |
| Krewe of Push Mow | 2:00 pm | Abita Springs | |
| 19 Feb 2020 (Wed) | |||
| Krewe of Druids | 6:15 pm | Uptown New Orleans | |
| Krewe of Nyx | 6:45 pm | Uptown New Orleans | |
| 20 Feb 2020 (Thu) | |||
| Knights of Babylon | 5:30 pm | Uptown New Orleans | |
| Knights of Chaos | 6:15 pm | Uptown New Orleans | |
| Krewe of Muses | 6:30 pm | Uptown New Orleans | |
| 21 Feb 2020 (Fri) | |||
| Krewe of Bosom Buddies | 11:30 am | French Quarter | |
| Krewe of Hermes | 5:30 pm | Uptown New Orleans | |
| Krewe d’Etat | 6:30 pm | Uptown New Orleans | |
| Krewe of Morpheus | 7:00 pm | Uptown New Orleans | |
| Krewe of Selene | 6:30 pm | Slidell | |
| 22 Feb 2020 (Sat) | |||
| Krewe of Iris | 11:00 am | Uptown New Orleans | |
| Krewe of Tucks | 12:00 pm | Uptown New Orleans | |
| Krewe of NOMTOC | 10:45 am | Westbank | |
| Krewe of Endymion | 4:15 pm | Mid-City | |
| Krewe of Bush | 9:00 am | Bush | |
| Krewe of Isis | 6:00 pm | Kenner | |
| 23 Feb 2020 (Sun) | |||
| Krewe of Athena | 5:30 pm | Metairie | |
| Krewe of Pandora | 6:30 pm | Metairie | |
| Krewe of Okeanos | 11:00 am | Uptown New Orleans | |
| Krewe of Mid-City | 11:45 am | Uptown New Orleans | |
| Krewe of Thoth | 12:00 pm | Uptown New Orleans | |
| Krewe of Bacchus | 5:15 pm | Uptown New Orleans | |
| 24 Feb 2020 (Mon) | |||
| Krewe of Proteus | 5:15 pm | Uptown New Orleans | |
| Krewe of Orpheus | 6:00 pm | Uptown New Orleans | |
| 25 Feb 2020 (Tue) | |||
| Krewe of Argus | 10:00 am | Metairie | |
| Krewe of Elks Jefferson | 11:00 am | Metairie | |
| Krewe of Jefferson | 11:30 am | Metairie | |
| Krewe of Zulu | 8:00 am | Uptown New Orleans | |
| Krewe of Rex | 10:00 am | Uptown New Orleans | |
| Krewe of Elks Orleans | 10:30 am | Uptown New Orleans | |
| Krewe of Crescent City | 11:00 am | Uptown New Orleans | |
| Covington Lions Club | 10:00 am | Covington | |
| Krewe of Covington | 10:30 am | Covington | |
| Krewe of Folsom | 2:00 pm | Folsom | |
| Krewe of Chahta | 1:00 pm | Lacombe |
Getting around New Orleans during Mardi Gras
Hiring a car in New Orleans is the best way to move around the city. While the main streets remain inaccessible to vehicular traffic during the festival, you can always make a plan to see other attractions such as the Audubon Zoo, Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, etc in your New Orleans car rental. You can also book Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport car hire for a comfortable sightseeing experience.