Where in New Orleans is Mardi Gras? This is where you can watch the famed parades
The Mardi Gras countdown has begun! This year, Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday, falls on February 13th. If you’re headed down to New Orleans to celebrate, knowing where and when the festivities will take place is vital. Luckily, for those looking to party, the event is hard to escape this time of year — no matter where you go in New Orleans.
MardiGrasNewOrleans.com has an entire page dedicated to parade schedules. The first two Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans were on January 6th in the French Quarter and Uptown New Orleans. Festivities then officially began on January 27th with parades in Slidell and the French Quarter. The next set of upcoming parades will happen this weekend, February 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.
Different Krewes, or private clubs that organize parades and Mardi Gras events, hold separate parades throughout the weeks leading up to the celebration.
The Krewe of Cork is the first Krewe to parade on February 2nd in the French Quarter. Their parade starts at 3 p.m.
Then in Uptown New Orleans, you can catch the Krewe of Oshun’s parade at 6 p.m. and then the Krewe of Cleopatra’s parade at 6:30 p.m. Head to Mandeville to see the 7 p.m. Krewe of Eve parade and then the 7:30 p.m. Krewe of Excalibur parade in Metairie.
On Saturday, February 3rd, parades start bright and early at 10 a.m. in Slidell. Westbank, Madisonville, Chalmette, Uptown New Orleans, Marigny, Metairie, and Covington all play host to different Krewe parades throughout the day.
Parades will continue almost daily until Fat Tuesday. On the actual day of Mardi Gras, you can catch Krewe parades in Uptown New Orleans starting at 8 a.m., in Metairie staring at 10 a.m., and in Covington starting at 10 a.m.
There’s no way you’re not seeing a New Orleans Mardi Gras parade if you’re in town right now.
You can check out the entire Mardi Gras 2018 parade schedule on MardiGrasNewOrleans.com. There you can also find information on featured Krewes, the event’s history, and how to get the most Mardi Gras bang for your buck.
