Mardi gras mask on glitter background. Italy.

5 Best Ways To Experience Mardi Gras In New Orleans

Cruise Out Of New Orleans During The Mardi Gras Carnival Season

By Amanda Mesa | Published on June 5, 2023

New Orleans is practically synonymous with the holiday of Mardi Gras. This colorful, raucous celebration is filled with music, parades, costumes and partying — plus all kinds of unique Mardis Gras traditions rich with cultural significance.

If you're looking for the best ways to experience Mardi Gras, you'll be pleased to know that enjoying this special celebration to the fullest doesn't require much in-depth planning. In fact, I once showed up in the beautiful French Quarter of New Orleans with no itinerary whatsoever. Greeted by energetic crowds, marching bands playing up and down the streets, and impromptu parades, I went with the flow and had a Mardi Gras experience to remember.

That said, in order to truly make the most of your Mardi Gras experience, it helps to understand its history, meaning, and, of course, the significance behind the most iconic Mardi Gras traditions.

What Is Mardi Gras All About?

Mardi Gras is all about celebrating before the season of Lent. It's believed that the French-Canadian explorer, Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville, brought Mardi Gras to North America in March 1699. He was camping about 60 miles from the site where New Orleans was later founded. Knowing that it was Fat Tuesday in France (the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent), d'Iberville named his campsite "Point du Mardi Gras" and hosted a small celebration there.

Many scholars maintain that the holiday's roots and many Mardi Gras traditions date back millennia to pagan festivals around fertility and spring. It is possible that today's celebration is an evolution of the Roman festivals of Lupercalia and Saturnalia, infused with Christianity over the ages until it became a prelude to Lent. Today, many countries throughout Europe celebrate some version of Mardi Gras.

Mardi Gras took off as a larger-scale celebration soon after New Orleans was officially founded in 1718. Though some of the most well-known Mardi Gras traditions, such as masquerade balls and wearing costumes in public, came under fire by various players who controlled the Big Easy in the late 18th century, the festival continued to flourish. The first Mardi Gras street parade in New Orleans on record took place in 1837, and the decades that followed saw the rise of parade groups (called "krewes") and lavish balls.

Here are the five best ways to get in on the Mardi Gras fun on cruises from New Orleans.

1. Party All Month Long In New Orleans

Though Mardi Gras officially takes place on Fat Tuesday, New Orleans's iconic carnival season — and all the parades and parties it encompasses — starts on January 6. Also known as King's Day, this is sometimes considered the unofficial start of Mardi Gras festivities. Because of the long carnival season, you don't technically need to visit New Orleans on Fat Tuesday in order to get in on all the Mardi Gras action. Really, any time between January and March is the best time to go to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. I visited during mid-February and was able to enjoy a full lineup of early parades, bead-throwing block parties and themed decorations. Of course, trying to time your arrival as close as you can to Fat Tuesday is one of the best ways to experience Mardi Gras, as the revelry truly builds up around the date.

2. Dress In Costume & Mask

For many people, Mardi Gras is much more than an event or holiday — it's a state of mind. All throughout carnival season you'll see people dressed from head to toe in purple, green and gold with strings of beads around their necks. You'll also spot plenty of Mardi Gras enthusiasts strolling up and down the streets in costumes and masks.

Choosing and donning a mask during the celebrations is one of the easiest and best ways to experience Mardi Gras — and one of my personal favorite ways to enjoy the festivities. Remember to buy your costumes and masks in advance or make your own from the street venders. In the celebration's early days, wearing masks allowed revelers anonymity and the freedom to be whoever they wanted to be, regardless of their class constraints. Today, Mardi Gras is the largest — and certainly one of the oldest — masked parties in North America. In fact, float-riders are required by law to wear masks. My tip? Embrace it! Go all out with ornate masks, face paint, wild accessories and colorful outfits; it'll make the party that much more fun.

3. Indulge In A King Cake

Fat Tuesday may be the best day to go to Mardi Gras solely because of the delicious king cake. King cake is one of the best-known Mardi Gras traditions. In fact, this braided cinnamon-brioche cake is only eaten during this special time of year. The cake is glazed with gold, green and purple sugar or drenched in icing — but the real surprise is the small plastic baby that's hidden inside its doughy center. When partaking in king cake, the person who finds the baby is obliged to buy the next cake or host the next get-together.

4. Collect As Many Goodies As You Can

"Throws" are an iconic Mardi Gras tradition, kicked off in the 1870s by a krewe known as the Twelfth Night Revelers. It's when members of krewes on floats throw beads to parade spectators as they pass by. While beads are definitely the most popular item you'll catch on the sidelines, you might also be showered with cups, doubloons, toys and other knickknacks. I even caught a beautiful mask while watching the parade one year, so be prepared!

5. Live It Up At A Balcony Bar

The Mardi Gras balcony experience is can't-miss when you're in New Orleans. What makes it so special? For starters, posting up on a balcony affords you the best view possible of parades and entertainment happening down below on the city streets. Second, balcony bars serve as great places to meet and mingle with fellow festival-goers and enjoy drinks while reveling in the energy of Mardi Gras. You'll find a slew of balcony bars throughout the French Quarter, though be advised they fill up quickly. To secure a good spot — and make it inside before they reach capacity — plan to arrive early. I'm talking hours ahead of any scheduled parades or street-side events.

Now that you know a little bit more about this celebration's origins, its traditions and the best ways to experience Mardi Gras, you're ready to plan the ultimate New Orleans visit. If you're visiting with young children, keep in mind that the more family-friendly Mardi Gras activities take place during the day. The events and costumes get more grown-up as the sun sets. Otherwise, you're in for an incredible time.

Kick off your cruise from New Orleans with some epic Mardi Gras celebrations.