18 Need-to-Know Mardi Gras Facts Ahead of the Big Parade
When you first think of Mardi Gras, what most immediately comes to mind? Is it revelers catching beads? Big parades down in New Orleans? A delicious king cake bedecked in yellow, purple, and green? Sure, you may know all the surface-level stuff associated with the celebration, but there’s also ample history behind these traditions. That’s why, to really prep you for the holiday, we’re here with a host of need-to-know Mardi Gras facts. (The date for Mardi Gras 2025 is later this year, so there’s really no excuse for not getting up to speed!)
Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday,” a pretty-spot on name for the last event of Carnival season before heading in to the more austere and introspective time of Lent. And even though the origins of Mardi Gras go back to Ancient Rome, and a different Southern port city technically hosted the first Mardi Gras celebration here in the United States, we most commonly associate the holiday with New Orleans. Which is perhaps why most people are curious about the specific Mardi Gras traditions and customs celebrated in the Big Easy.
What is a “krewe”? How does get to ride on a parade float? Is there a secret to catching the most beads? And what, exactly, does “laissez les bon temps rouler” mean? Don’t worry, we’ve got the answers to these frequently asked questions about Mardi Gras (and so much more!) in this list of fun and interesting Mardi Gras facts. With your newfound understanding of what happens when, and why, the holiday is bound to be that much more fun.
Make Mardi Gras magical wherever you celebrate with these fun ideas:
• 30 Best Mardi Gras Recipes and Food Ideas
• 50 Fun Mardi Gras Captions to Share with Your Friends 2024
• The Best King Cakes That Can Be Delivered Straight to Your Door
”Laissez les bons temps rouler” is the official greeting.
You’ll hear laissez les bons temps rouler (pronounced lay-say le bon tom roo-lay) over and over again at Mardi Gras celebrations. It means “let the good times roll” in Cajun French. We can get behind that idea!
Carnival season begins earlier than most realize.
In New Orleans, Carnival season begins on Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day, a holiday that happens on January 6 (12 days after Christmas). Many smaller parades are hosted leading up to the 12-day parading period. But the last five days make up the main weekend (from Thursday night through Fat Tuesday), when the largest parades run back-to-back.
King Cake means Carnival season has arrived.
During Mardi Gras season in New Orleans, king cakes are ubiquitous. Each pastry is hiding a tiny plastic baby inside symbolizing the baby Jesus (after all, it’s a cake for the Christian holiday Three Kings Day) as well as luck and prosperity. Tradition holds that if you find the baby inside your slice of cake, you are “crowned” king or queen for the day, but it also means you’re responsible for providing the king cake next year. Not to worry—you can have an authentic king cake delivered straight to your doorstep.
Each parade is run by a different krewe.
While some krewes have been hosting Mardi Gras parades for years, others have formed more recently. Most are named after Roman or Greek mythology.
Some are easy to join via an application, while others have long wait lists to get in. You will likely have to spend a little change, regardless, as these private organizations charge yearly membership fees.
Krewes have signature throws.
All krewes throw beads. Doubloons, which are aluminum coins minted especially for Mardi Gras, have become popular throws too after the Krewe of Rex started the tradition, though the coins will vary by krewe in color and design. But if you land a pair of hand-decorated sunglasses, that’s a Krewe of Iris signature throw—not to be confused with rare bedazzled shoes at the Krewe of Muses. And if you are handed a hollow painted coconut, count yourself lucky—they are the big prize at Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club.
If you’re after one of these throws, stand as close to the float as possible—krewe members won’t throw anything too heavy to avoid hurting spectators.
Mobile, Alabama, actually holds the title for the first Mardi Gras in America.
Both Southern port cities, situated about 150 miles apart along the Gulf Coast, Mobile and New Orleans share quite a bit of history and cultural ties when it comes to the origin of Mardi Gras in the States. In 1699, French-Canadian explorer Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville, accompanied by his brother Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, led an expedition to the area. About 60 miles from what is now New Orleans, they set up camp on March 3, the day before Lent. In honor of the meaningful date, they named it Point du Mardi Gras.
In 1702, Pierre founded Mobile. According to the Mobile Carnival Museum, the first Mardi Gras was celebrated in Mobile in 1703, followed by the first Carnival in 1711. Both occurred before Jean-Baptiste founded New Orleans in 1718. Celebrations in both cities continue today, but whereas New Orleans has krewes, Mobile has mystic societies.
The first Mardi Gras parade float rolled through New Orleans in 1857.
New Orleans’ first official Mardi Gras parade was documented in 1837, but floats didn’t roll through the Big Easy for another two decades. The first floats are credited to the city’s first krewe: the Mistick Krewe of Comus. The krewe was founded by transplants from Mobile, who themselves were inspired by Mobile’s oldest known mystic society, the Cowbellion de Rakin Society.
It’s illegal to not wear a mask onboard a float.
It’s not just a tradition—it’s the law! Everyone on the float must wear a mask or paint their face. The practice was originally started to encourage people to mingle and talk to those outside of your social circle.
Krewes choose a different theme for their parades each year.
Each float in a Mardi Gras parade is decorated differently to fit into a central theme, which can be anything from literature to humor. And they don’t waste any time getting to work: Most start on the following year’s floats as soon as Fat Tuesday is over.
Each krewe has a system of royalty.
Each parade kicks off with the krewe leader. Next comes the king or queen, followed by the maids and dukes, before the rest of the members.
The Mardi Gras colors are green, gold, and purple—and each have hidden meanings.
The New Orleans Krewe of Rex introduced the colors in 1872. Twenty years later, the krewe imbued them with meaning for the 1892 parade theme “Symbolism of Colors.” Green is faith. Gold, power. Purple, justice.
Local historian Errol Flynn Laborde theorized that the krewe probably had in mind flag colors for a kingdom, given that krewes have kings and kings tend to come with kingdoms and flags. Remember, Krewe of Rex is also the originator of the minted Mardi Gras coins called doubloons. Evoking the trappings of a kingdom is in totally in the krewe’s wheelhouse.
If you want to keep Mardi Gras family friendly, avoid the French Quarter.
You may assume that Mardi Gras is one wild party, but there are some spots you can go that are family friendly, too. Try finding an area along the parade route uptown if you’re looking for a more PG experience.
Mentioning one phrase will score you beads at parades.
What are the magic words for Mardi Gras? “Throw me something, mister!” Say this phrase as floats pass by, and watch as krewe members happily toss you beads and toys.
Want to ride on a float? It will cost you.
In addition to paying a membership fee, krewe members dish out major cash for beads, costumes, security, cleanup crews, and Mardi Gras balls year after year. Luckily, many krewes allow members to take a break for a year, as long as they send a friend to ride (and pay) in their place.
Mardi Gras has rarely been canceled in New Orleans.
While rain delays are common, the event has only been canceled a handful of times, such as during the two World Wars and an outbreak of Yellow Fever in the 1870s, according to Double-Barrelled Travel. The parades were canceled in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mardi Gras isn’t only celebrated in New Orleans.
The Big Easy may be home to one of the most well-known celebrations, but plenty of other places have their own takes on this festival. The first Carnival celebration originated in Nice, France, while Rio de Janeiro, Quebec City, and Trinidad and Tobago all have their own celebrations as well.
Looking for a more local way to celebrate Mardi Gras? Beyond New Orleans and Mobile, top destinations include Washington, D.C., San Diego, Biloxi, Mississippi; St. Louis, Missouri; and Galveston, Texas.
You may look forward to the parades, but the real treat for krewe members comes later.
Sure, anyone can attend a parade, but scoring an invite to an elaborate Mardi Gras ball is more exclusive.
Mardi Gras sometimes overlaps with the Super Bowl.
When New Orleans hosted the Super Bowl in 2013, some called the celebration “Super Gras.” The 12-day parade season was extended so that no parades would run on the day of the Big Game.
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