Louisiana’s Historic Mardi Gras Celebrations

Following weeks of grand pre-Lenten festivities, Louisiana’s 2025 Carnival Season is nearing its spectacular finish. This vibrant period, filled with intricate parades coursing through New Orleans, colorful beads tossed from floats, streets teeming with costume-clad merrymakers, opulent balls, and seafood feasts, is set for its grand finale.

Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday, which falls on March 4, represents the peak of the Carnival Season along the Gulf Coast. This day signifies the last opportunity for indulgence and celebration before the reflective period of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.

Annually, in addition to Louisiana’s own residents, more than a million visitors flock to New Orleans to experience the renowned Carnival festivities. The event comprises a combination of gourmet dining, drinking, and an abundance of parades, where attendees wait eagerly along the routes, hands upward, ready to grab “throws” — gifts launched to the crowd by float riders and members of the carnival troupes known as krewes.

These throws include various novelties such as plastic beads, sweets, plush toys, cups, and other trinkets. Among these, certain items are particularly sought after, including artistically painted coconuts, custom-decorated shoes, and elaborately adorned toilet plungers.

This yearly celebration extends beyond the city of New Orleans. Celebrations occur all across Louisiana and along the Gulf Coast. Mobile, Alabama, boasts the oldest Mardi Gras festivity in the United States, while other impressive Carnival celebrations in Brazil and Europe enjoy international acclaim.