11 Mardi Gras Traditions You Need to Experience

Mardi Gras—French for "Fat Tuesday"—is a time of colorful, decadent, and delightfully hectic celebrations that peak on the day before Ash Wednesday, which begins the pre-Easter season of Lent for many Christians. The Carnival season kicks off on January 6 each year, which is Kings’s Day (otherwise known as the Feast of the Epiphany in Christianity, or Three King’s Day), and always ends on Fat Tuesday (otherwise known as Mardi Gras Day, Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Tuesday). But the bulk of Mardi Gras celebrations typically last about two weeks, which is when New Orleans schedules the lion’s share of parades and other events. In 2021, Fat Tuesday is on February 16.

Of course, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Mardi Gras in New Orleans will look very different this year. A proud display of Louisiana culture, the event draws over 1 million visitors to the area annually, with weekly parades around the city from the French Quarter to Uptown (several states, including Alabama and Missouri, also throw their own Mardi Gras blowouts; it's also celebrated in Haiti). Those parades are canceled for 2021 due to risk, but you don't need to book a trip to enjoy a bit of the Mardi Gras festivities yourself. So whether you feast on traditional New Orleans cuisine at home or dream of hitting Bourbon Street once it’s safe again, here's 11 Mardi Gras traditions and their history.