New Orleans is ready to celebrate Mardi Gras 2018 and that means thousands of revelers will fill the streets in the French Quarter in New Orleans for one of the biggest celebrations of the year. Mardi Gras is the official celebration held the day before Lent begins.
The celebrations begin in each year on January 6, or Three Kings Day beginning with smaller parades and celebration leading to the grand finale, Mardi Gras. Carnival parade organizations, known as “krewes,” have parades every Friday, Saturday and Sunday throughout the French Quarter until Mardi Gras day.
Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday” symbolizes the last day of the carnival season. It is always the day before Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of Lent. Mardi Gras is also called Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Tuesday.
Traditionally, Mardi Gras celebrates the last day to indulge in all the things you plan on giving up for Lent.
So, what day is Mardi Gras 2018?
The date of Mardi Gras is different each year because of its relation to Easter. Mardi Gras is always 47 days before Easter, which can be on any Sunday between March 23 and April 23.
Mardi Gras falls on Sunday, February 18 this year.
If you’re looking to visit New Orleans for Mardi Gras 2018, the best time to visit NOLA is the weekend before Mardi Gras, February 9-13, according to the official Mardi Gras New Orleans official website. Go then to catch all the early parties and parades before Mardi Gras 2018. You can check out the complete list of all the parades leading to Mardi Gras on their website.
Because Mardi Gras is considered to be one big holiday in the Big Easy, expect to see paradegoers and participants wearing elaborate costumes and beads. According to the Mardi Gras site, many “non-essential” businesses will be closed that day because of the celebration.
Mardi Gras 2018 travel
If you’re searching for last-minute travel deals to get your Mardi Gras 2018 on, your best bet is to check expedia.com and trivago.com for travel bundles. If you’ve managed to book a flight on Google Flights or directly from an airline website and you’re not a fan of hotels, you may want to see what’s available on Airbnb. Be prepared to pay a lot more if you’re booking now because Mardi Gras 2018 is already right around the corner.
