However, there is much more to Mardi Gras than booze, costumes and hedonism, and its traditions extend far beyond New Orleans. These Mardi Gras facts will enrich your understanding of the holiday and its history, allowing you to enjoy Fat Tuesday on an even deeper level.

Mardi Gras Facts

  1. “Mardi Gras” translates directly to “Fat Tuesday.”
  2. Mardi Gras is the final day of carnival celebrations before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.
  3. Most carnival celebrations last three days to a week.
  4. Christian carnival celebrations typically kick off on the Epiphany or the Twelfth Night.
  5. Epiphany typically is marked on Jan. 6 every year.
  6. The official colors of Mardi Gras are purple, gold and green.
  7. Purple symbolizes justice.
  8. Green signifies faith.
  9. Gold represents power.
  10. The 1872 Krewe of Rex is credited with introducing the official Mardi Gras colors.
  11. The Krewe of Rex is said to have chosen the colors to honor Russian Grand Duke Alexis Romanoff, who was visiting at the time.
  12. New Orleans became a Mardi Gras hotspot in 1857 when floats were introduced to the city’s parade for the first time.
  13. Mistick Krewe of Comus introduced floats to New Orleans Mardi Gras parades.
  14. The Krewe of Rex introduced the tradition of giving out Spanish gold coins for Mardi Gras.
  15. One of the most popular sayings for Mardi Gras is “Laissez les bon temps rouler.”
  16. “Laissez les bon temps rouler” means “let the good times roll” in Cajun French.
  17. The very first New Orleans Mardi Gras parade on record was held in 1838.
  18. “If I Cease to Love” is the anthem of Mardi Gras.
  19. You guessed it: The Krewe of Rex chose the official Mardi Gras anthem song.
  20. An estimated 25 million pounds of plastic beads are tossed in Mardi Gras each year in New Orleans.
  21. On average, 1.4 million revelers visit New Orleans for Mardi Gras each year.
  22. By law, everyone on a New Orleans Mardi Gras parade float must wear a mask. Seriously!
  23. Mardi Gras masks are encouraged as a means to help revelers really let loose.
  24. In 2018, The Corps de Napoleon was fined $100 for having 23 unmasked riders on a Mardi Gras parade float in New Orleans.
  25. By law, masks must be removed by 6 p.m. on Mardi Gras.
  26. Each New Orleans parade is organized by groups called krewes.
  27. Every krewe’s ball reveals its own king, queen and court every year.
  28. Different New Orleans neighborhoods have Mardi Gras different parades each year.
  29. Some New Orleans krewes spend as much as $200,000 annually on their parade floats.
  30. New Orleans parade krewes are usually named after Greek or Roman mythological figures.
  31. There are sometimes 70 or more carnival parades in New Orleans in a single season.
  32. More family-friendly Mardi Gras celebrations are typically held north of the French Quarter.
  33. There are Mardi Gras parades for dogs in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and the Louisiana Northshore each year.
  34. The most popular Mardi Gras dessert is king cake.
  35. King cake is circular or braided to resemble a crown.
  36. King cake gets its name from the three kings who visited baby Jesus after the nativity.
  37. King cake has a plastic baby inside. Whoever finds the baby in their slice of cake has good luck (and has to bring the king cake to next year’s celebration).
  38. Every year, about 500,000 king cakes are sold during carnival season.
  39. Most king cakes have prominent flavors of vanilla and cinnamon.
  40. After clearing clogged storm drains following a flood, New Orleans uncovered some 45 million tons of Mardi Gras beads.
  41. More than 93,000 pounds of Mardi Gras beads were uncovered in just a five-block span in New Orleans drains in the 2017-2018 season.
  42. Before the 2019 Mardi Gras season, New Orleans installed “Gutter Buddies” to prevent drainage problems from beads.
  43. One of the most popular New Orleans Mardi Gras parades is from the Krewe of Bacchus.
  44. The Krewe of Bacchus has a celebrity dress up as the Roman god of wine each year to lead their parade.
  45. Celebrities who’ve served as King Bacchus include Larry King, Anthony Mackie, Michael Keaton, Bob Hope, Robin Thicke, Alan Thicke, Val Kilmer, Jim Belushi, J.K. Simmons, Hugh Laurie, Jensen Ackles, John C. Reilly, Sean Astin, Nicolas Cage, Elijah Wood, James Gandolfini, Drew Brees, Jim Caviezel, Henry Winkler, Harry Connick Jr., William Shatner, Andy Garcia and more.
  46. The earliest known carnival celebrations have been traced to 1294 in Nice, France.
  47. The Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club (Krewe of Zulu) is the oldest African American krewe in New Orleans.
  48. The Krewe of Zulu began celebrating in New Orleans parades in 1909.
  49. One of the most desired Mardi Gras trinkets from New Orleans celebrations is the Golden Coconut, which is tossed out in the Zulu parade.
  50. New Orleans Mardi Gras parades have only been canceled 13 times since their inception, usually due to wars.
  51. The two most recent Mardi Gras parade cancellations have been 1945 (due to World War II) and 2021 (due to the coronavirus pandemic).
  52. After the 2021 New Orleans Mardi Gras parades were canceled, krewes decorated houses like their traditional floats.
  53. The Krewe of Red Beans fundraised $300,000 for frontline workers, as well as for artists who were out of work due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  54. “Carnival” comes from the Latin phrase “carne vale,” which means “farewell meat,” as it was often a sacrifice in Lent.
  55. The oldest stateside Mardi Gras celebration took place in Mobile, Alabama, in 1703.
  56. A man dressed as Santa Claus was largely credited with throwing the very first Mardi Gras beads during a parade in the 1880s.
  57. There are several all-female Mardi Gras Krewes in New Orleans.
  58. The very first all-female Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans was organized by the Krewe of Venus in 1941.
  59. The 2013 Super Bowl in New Orleans forced the Mardi Gras parade to change locations as to not interfere with the big game.
  60. A Krewe of Chewbacchus celebrates the New Orleans Mardi Gras parades with a Star Wars theme.
  61. The Monday before Mardi Gras is called Lundi Gras.
  62. Coins and Mardi Gras beads are sometimes dubbed “doubloons.”
  63. In England, Ireland, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, Fat Tuesday is called “Shrove Tuesday.”
  64. Pancakes are a popular meal for Shrove Tuesday.
  65. Bead-throwing was popularized in Mardi Gras celebrations in the 1880s.
  66. Yikes! Mardi Gras beads used to be made of glass.
  67. Want beads? Yell “Throw me something, mister!”
  68. The mayor of New Orleans crowns a King of Carnival each year and honors them with a key to the city.
  69. Mardi Gras was declared a holiday by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582.
  70. Fat Tuesday was declared a Louisiana state holiday in 1875.
  71. Alabama and Florida also have state holidays for Mardi Gras.
  72. The LeMoyne Brothers are credited with bringing Mardi Gras celebrations to the United States in 1699.
  73. New Orleans Mardi Gras krewes have balls in addition to parades each year.
  74. After the United States gained control of the Louisiana area in 1803, the government banned public disguises and masked celebrations in an effort to crack down on the hedonism associated with Mardi Gras.
  75. At midnight on Ash Wednesday, the mayor of New Orleans, as well as police officers, ride through the French Quarter on horseback to announce the end of Mardi Gras and the beginning of Lent. Next, check out these coolest Mardi Gras celebrations around the country.