Mardi Gras in Louisiana

Mardi Gras [mär`dē grä] refers to carnival celebrations filled with the revelry of masked balls, parties, parades, feasts and fun leading up to the day before Lent begins.

Mardi gras, also known as "Fat Tuesday," never falls on the same day each year—it is calculated by the Christian holiday of Easter. The time period of forty days before Easter is called Lent, beginning with the day after Mardi Gras, which is Ash Wednesday.

Lent in some religions, is the forty-day-long season of fasting before Easter. The forty days is meant to represent the time Jesus spent in the desert, where according to the Bible he endured temptation by Satan. The Lenten season is calculated differently by various religions and churches.

Although New Orleans is no doubt the largest Mardi Gras, parades and festivities fill the streets of different cities in Louisiana usually between January 6th (The Twelfth Night, also known as the "Feast of the Epiphay"—marking the end of the Christmas Season) and Ash Wednesday.

Mardi Gras festivities officially come to a close on "Fat Tuesday" at stroke of midnight. Swishes and hums then fill the air from street sweepers removing every shred of evidence from the huge fete. The success and crowd population is estimated by the weight of the trash collection.

New Orleanians really know how to throw down a party!

Mardi Gras began in New Orleans in 1927 with the first street parade and is often referred to "the greatest free show on earth!" It is the city's largest celebration and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world.

The Twelfth Night marks the start of the season with private masked balls held in the honor of elected royalty of the Krewe.

These clubs are usually members only (hefty membership dues and fees are paid to belong to these exclusive organizations), where secret ballots are cast to elect the King, Queen, Duke, etc., that will reign over that particular parade and Krewe.

The royalty and krewe will ride on beautifully constructed paper-maché floats and travel on the selected route to cast trinkets, doubloons, beads and other items to the excited crowd shouting "throw me something mista!"

Let the good times roll in Lafayette

Drawing on its rich and colorful cultural backgrounds of Cajun and Creole influences, Lafayette's Mardi Gras celebrations begin approximately a week before "Fat Tuesday," which is a course of feasting and merriment leading up to the fasting period of Lent.

Lafayette's Mardi Gras is the second largest in the state and has a distinctive spice and flavor that has helped establish this as one of the most unique, biggest and best pre-Lenten celebrations in the world.

Le Festival de Mardi Gras à Lafayette, held Mardi Gras weekend features dancing in the streets to live bands and a fair with rides and games held at Cajun Field—giving you a heaping taste of Cajun and Zydeco music with a great view of the parades that roll through on Mardi Gras day.

While most masked balls are privately celebrated, the relvery comes to a spectacular close that evening with a glitzy Mardi Gras Ball sponsored by the Lafayette’s Southwest Louisiana Mardi Gras Association—open to the public free of charge.

Pass a good time in Lake Charles

The Southwest City of Lake Charles is host to numerous Mardi Gras celebrations. Glitter and and glamour fill the festivities of over 45 Krewes, numerous parades and countless events, galas and balls held in between.

Attend the Twelfth Night, usually held on January 6th at the Lake Charles Civic Center to see the previous years' Royalty waving goodbye, making room for current Royalty and Krewes.

The reverly includes parades, trail rides and countless other events to fill your spirit. There are also several masked balls that are available and open to the public!

Unique Louisiana

If you want to celebrate Mardi Gras, there are many places to go and laissez le bon temp roulez (let the good times roll), throughout the state.

Come to Louisiana and enjoy our good food, good people and good times any time of year.

Louisiana's Motto—"Come as you are, leave different."