Preguntas frecuentes

Mardi Gras Day (Fat Tuesday) is February 9, 2027. Carnival season runs from Twelfth Night on January 6 through Fat Tuesday; Lundi Gras is Monday, February 8, and Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 10. The biggest parades land in the final long weekend.

Yes - every street parade is free to watch, by long-standing tradition. A city ordinance even bans corporate sponsorship of floats. Your real costs are lodging, food and drink, and optional extras like reserved grandstand seats, a balcony spot, or a krewe ball ticket.

No - and they legally cannot. A city ordinance has banned large floats from the French Quarter since 1973 because the streets are too narrow. The big parades roll the Uptown route along St. Charles Avenue, and Endymion rolls its own Mid-City route. Only walking and small mule-drawn parades come through the Quarter.

Much of it is. The daytime Uptown parades and the neutral-ground (median) side of St. Charles are genuinely family territory - locals bring kids on ladders fitted with seats. The French Quarter at night is firmly adult. Plan family days Uptown and save Bourbon Street for after the kids are asleep.

For first-timers, the CBD/Warehouse District is the easiest all-around base - a short walk to the route with the most hotels. The Garden District and Uptown put you right on St. Charles. The French Quarter is best for nightlife but pricey, loud, and not where the floats roll. Whatever you choose, book early: rooms go months ahead and rates spike for Carnival.

Comfortable walking shoes and layers. February in New Orleans averages a high near 66F (19C) and a low near 50F (10C), but it is highly variable and averages about 4 inches of rain, so bring a poncho. Costumes are warmly encouraged, especially on Fat Tuesday.

Riders toss beads, cups, doubloons and specialty items to the crowd, and it is all free. Make eye contact, wave, and call out to a specific rider - it works far better than shouting blindly. Throws are gifts: never snatch one from a child, and do not fight over them.

The hand-painted coconut handed out by the Zulu club on Fat Tuesday morning - the single most coveted throw of Carnival. It is handed down from the float rather than thrown; after a 1987 liability scare, Louisiana passed a 1988 "Coconut Bill" to protect the tradition.

Walk whenever you can. Parade closures shut down streetcars and many bus routes, parking near the route is nearly impossible, and rideshare pickups get pushed well away from the action. Base yourself within walking distance of the route and plan a walking-first day.

For most visitors, yes. The parade routes - especially the family-friendly Uptown stretch of St. Charles - are heavily policed and full of locals with kids. The real risks are ordinary big-crowd ones: pickpockets, getting separated from your group, and over-drinking late at night in the French Quarter. Keep your phone and cash in a front pocket or a zipped bag, agree on a meeting spot in case you split up, stick to busy well-lit streets after dark, and treat late-night Bourbon Street as the rowdiest part of the trip. Daytime parades are calm and easygoing.

It depends entirely on where and when. Daytime Uptown parades early in the final week are relaxed - you can usually walk up and find a spot. The big night parades (Endymion on Saturday, Bacchus on Sunday) and Fat Tuesday itself draw the heaviest crowds, so arrive a couple of hours early and expect tight quarters. For a calmer experience as a couple or family, watch from the Uptown start near Napoleon Avenue rather than downtown near Canal Street, and favor daytime over late night.