Mardi Gras is a colorful and vibrant celebration that includes delicious and culturally rich foods, street parties and parades, and “krewes” handing out various festive trinkets. Whether you’re visiting the most popular spot or the site of the country’s first celebration, here are the top 5 U.S. cities to celebrate Mardi Gras.
New Orleans, LA
The most popular Mardi Gras celebration in the U.S. for a reason, New Orleans first hosted the event in 1837 and now hosts approximately 1.5 million visitors annually. Beginning on Twelfth Night and ending on Fat Tuesday, daily Mardi Gras processions pass through various neighborhoods tossing small trinkets or “throws” to the crowd, including snacks, beads, stamped doubloons, and carefully decorated Zulu coconuts.
Mobile, AL
Mobile was the location of the very first Mardi Gras celebration in the U.S. in 1703. It has been celebrating since a city clerk named Joe Cain revived the port city’s Mardi Gras tradition after the Civil War. The city honors this historical figure with Joe Cain Day on the Sunday before Fat Tuesday. Celebrations include nearly 40 Mardi Gras parades, tossing throws, including beads, trinkets, and MoonPies.
St. Louis, MO
Hosted in the historic Soulard neighborhood, this city kicks off its Mardi Gras celebrations with a ceremony in which local leaders and krewes petition Mardi Gras organizers to host using performances and bribes. Once these petitions have been accepted, a parade featuring the hoisting of the Mardi Gras flag follows. The city hosts a dozen events during the season, including a family winter carnival, Cajun food cook-off, the world’s largest costumed pet parade, the Mayor’s Mardi Gras Ball, and the Grand Parade.
Biloxi, MS
Originating in 1908 with 17 floats, the Gulf Coast Carnival Association now hosts more than 20 parades along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The Carnival on the Coast includes a series of elaborate balls and parades such as the Annual Biloxi Children’s Mardi Gras Walking Parade, the Krewe of Barkloxi’s PAWrade, and the Annual Krewe of Nereids Mardi Gras Parade.
Galveston, TX
This city’s Mardi Gras celebrations include balcony parties, concerts, and over 20 parades ranging from more traditional parades for families to more unique parades. A few of the town’s more distinct parades include The Funky Uptown Umbrella Brigade, the Zaniest Golf Cart Parade, and the Art Car & Jeep Parade.
