As the 2025 Carnival season approaches its grand finale in New Orleans and all along the Gulf Coast, vibrant parades are set to thrill attendees. Resplendent riders will make their way through city streets on elaborate floats while audiences engage in both formal and playful gatherings. Throughout Thursday night in New Orleans, three processions will dazzle with vividly masked participants. These lively spectacles will continue daily, culminating on Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, while exuberant visitors take over the French Quarter and adjacent regions.
Mardi Gras holds deep roots in Christian and Roman Catholic customs, commencing annually on January 6, twelve days post-Christmas. As the final day of ample feasting and revelry before Ash Wednesday’s introduction to Lent—a period of fasting—Mardi Gras signals a significant cultural time in New Orleans. Here, these traditional religious festivities have morphed into largely secular events, with the largest celebration in the United States encompassing street parties, refined balls, and flamboyant parades. Some of these parades now feature grandiose floats, complete with dazzling lights and animated figures.
“The essence of Mardi Gras is its community spirit. It feels like an endless block party spanning miles and it’s an absolute joy for all,” shared Virginia Saussy of the Krewe of Muses, whose parade is on schedule for Thursday night. “Experiencing it firsthand is essential to truly understand what makes it unique.”
In southwestern Louisiana, there’s a distinctly regional flair with events like the Cajun French Courir de Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday Run. Rooted in medieval French rituals, these rural gatherings invite masked and costumed riders to join in, stopping at homes to perform and collect goods—often inebriated participants even chase live chickens to contribute to a communal gumbo feast. In New Orleans, another vivid tradition sees African Americans adorning intricate beaded and feathered costumes to parade throughout the city. This practice, known as Mardi Gras Indians, dates back to the late 1800s. This vibrant aspect pays tribute to local Native Americans who historically aided escaped slaves and emerged during an era of racial segregation.
In response to a tragic attack on January 1 that claimed 14 lives, the Department of Homeland Security has raised Mardi Gras to its highest alert status. Heightened security measures involve an increased presence of law enforcement officers, according to Eric DeLaune, leading the safety efforts as the special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans. Utilizing methods tested during the recent Super Bowl, security will include SWAT teams, armored vehicles, helicopters, and plainclothes agents mingling through crowds. A significant force of 600 police officers, alongside several hundred from state and local agencies, will be deployed.
“We’re striving to maintain the cultural integrity of Mardi Gras while ensuring maximum safety,” said DeLaune, a Louisiana native accustomed to the festive parades. “Our goal was to enhance security without altering the beloved atmosphere of Mardi Gras.”
Hundreds of revelers will congregate along St. Charles Avenue, a scenic route noted for its grand attractions, to marvel at impressive floats, marching bands, and celebrities. To safeguard attendees, a strategic layout of heavy barricades, designed to impede fast-moving vehicles while allowing orderly traffic, lines the avenue. “It’s like a serpentine barrier,” explained New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick. “This will hinder anyone attempting vehicular attacks.” Additionally, drones are prohibited, and the use of ice chests and coolers in high-traffic zones, a tactic used in previous incidents, will also be barred, per Louisiana State Police Superintendent Robert Hodges.
The timing of Mardi Gras fluctuates yearly, ranging from February 3 to March 9, aligning with the first Sunday after the spring equinox’s first full moon. This year’s late date of March 4 predicts warmer weather for the celebrations, swapping out the typically cooler February conditions along the Gulf Coast, despite a chance of rain predicted on Tuesday.
Another hallmark of the celebration are the “throws”—varied trinkets distributed by float riders and carnival club members, also known as krewes, to parade spectators. Shimmering plastic beads are omnipresent, though some krewes seek eco-friendly alternatives. The Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club’s parade boasts highly coveted painted coconuts. During Thursday’s Muses parade, participants can vie for glittery, hand-decorated shoes, a signature keepsake of the event.
“The idea emerged from our commemorative stiletto shoe bead, which unexpectedly gained massive popularity,” recounted Saussy, heading Muses’ theme and floats. “Who knew the allure of a shoe would capture so many hearts?”
