Mardi Gras Time in New Orleans: 5 Things That May Surprise You

Living in New Orleans comes with many perks like great food, nice weather, close to the beach, but perhaps the best part of living in this city is Mardi Gras time! I’ve come up with five things you might not know about Carnival Season in New Orleans.

1 – It’s several weeks long.

While Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) is just one day, Carnival Season is actually several weeks of parades, parties, and balls leading up to Mardi Gras. Carnival Season begins on January 6th, also known as King’s Day or Twelfth Night, and runs until Mardi Gras (which is the day before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of lent). Nearly 100 parades will roll during Carnival Season with the biggest parades rolling the week before Mardi Gras. Check out this list of parades for 2020.

2 – Carnival Season is very family oriented.

Carnival season is a festive time for all. The atmosphere for parades is full of an exciting energy made from an eclectic mix of young and old alike. You can find plenty of kids and babies lining the parade routes, most of them sitting high atop Mardi Gras ladders (some would say is the best seat on the parade route)! Families of all sizes spend the day parading, eating, hanging out with friends and making magical Mardi Gras memories.

3 – Flashing for beads is frowned upon.

Don’t expect to see people along the parade route baring it all for beads. Flashing is actually something frowned upon by locals. Occasionally, I’ve seen a tourist do it because they think that is what you are supposed to do! But it’s not something you will see from locals.

4- The secret to catching throws.

The best way to catch throws (another word for beads, plush toys, doubloons, anything thrown from a Krewe member on a float) is to know someone riding, make a sign, make eye contact, or (probably the best way) put a cute kid on your shoulders and wave to the riders on the floats!

5-Much time, thought and money goes into the parades.

There are dozens of Krewes and 10s of thousands of Krewe members who make Mardi Gras time the magic it is! Krewe members spend all year preparing for the big day their parade rolls. Floats are repainted to match the theme and maintained throughout the year, costumes are designed and ordered, much time is spent organizing and preparing for balls, etc…all in the name of Mardi Gras! In addition to paying your annual dues that could be hundreds of dollars, many members spend thousands of dollars on specialty throws, beads and plush toys to throw come parade day. Worth every penny!

Follow Southern Chick Journal on Instagram