How many parades during mardi gras

These laid-back districts east of the French Quarter will offer a more off-the-beaten-path Mardi Gras experience , but the action of Bourbon Street is still close enough to access without having to drive.

Regardless of where you choose to rest your head during Mardi Gras in New Orleans, the chances that a colorful parade will pass through the neighborhood during your visit are strong. Some of our favorite New Orleans hotels —from reliable standbys to exciting new spots that opened in —include:. Krewes are the organizations responsible for planning and executing Mardi Gras parades and masquerade balls. In keeping with the allure of original Carnival traditions, several krewes do not reveal the theme of their parades until the night of the events.

The Rex Organization, one of the oldest Mardi Gras krewes in New Orleans, established purple, gold, and green as the official Mardi Gras colors as far back as The three shades are said to symbolize justice, faith, and power, respectively.

Mardi Gras throws have been a New Orleans tradition for more than years and include everything from purses to cups, toiletries, beads, and doubloons , the colorful metal medallions designed with krewe emblems that adorn the signature bead necklaces customized by each Mardi Gras krewe.

This article originally appeared online in July ; it was updated on November 20, , and again on October 8, , to include current information. Reopens to International Travel. Sign up for the Daily Wander newsletter for expert travel inspiration and tips. Read our privacy policy. AFAR Advisor. Beaches International Beaches Islands U. Beaches Water Sports. Cities We Love. Holiday Travel. Road Trips. Travel for Good. The Orpheus parade takes place on the Monday before Fat Tuesday, and participants throw out sought-after items to parade watchers like stuffed dragons and signature doubloons.

The trolley used in the opening of the movie "Hello, Dolly! The parade includes a host of iconic characters such as the Zulu King, the Big Shot, and the Witch Doctor, among many others. One of the most coveted throws of all the Mardi Gras parades is the painted coconuts hurled out by the Zulu krewe. The Zulu parade is always the first thing on the day of Mardi Gras, traversing through uptown New Orleans on Tuesday morning.

The krewe also throws a massive Lundi Gras Festival on Monday at Woldenberg Park that's free and open to all, featuring live music, delicious Cajun food, and the presentation of the parade characters. Rex is Mardi Gras' longest-running procession and the krewe responsible for many of the holiday traditions celebrated throughout the city. The official Mardi Gras colors of purple, green, and gold were first donned by Rex, and the custom to throw out doubloons from parade floats was also started by this historic group.

The Krewe of Rex is an all-male group that picks one upstanding member each year to be the "Rex," or head of the parade. Because of the krewe's reputation in the city, the Rex leader is often referred to as the King of Carnival and traditionally receives a key to the city from the New Orlean's mayor.

The Rex parade always begins the morning of Fat Tuesday following the Zulu parade, helping to kick off the celebrations for the culminating day. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance.

Develop and improve products. Starting in , the floats were pulled by new tractors with automatic transmissions, to reduce the lurching. From Mid-City the parade makes its way to Lee Circle, ending up at the Champions Square and finally inside the Superdome for some serious partying at the Endymion Extravaganza. Founded in , the Krewe of Okeanos was originally a neighborhood parade on St. Charles Avenue. Okeanos has about riders.

Notably, instead of the traditional bal masque the krewe hosts a coronation ball where the king is presented and the queen is selected by random draw. The Krewe of Mid-City also dates back a while, to , and consists of all-male members.

The parade has a unique look featuring tinfoil as well as animation, and is known to rock themes irresistible to children. The king and queen are kids selected each year from the local Ronald McDonald House. The krewe is known to throw generously, and has 1, riders on its 50 floats.

Box of Wine is a walking parade that rolls between Thoth and Bacchus, whenever the police escort gives a green light, from a secret location that changes every year. It is decidedly its own animal, in all its artsy, bohemian glory.

The last treat of the Sunday before Mardi Gras is the unmatched super-krewe parade, Bacchus. Bacchus was the first parade to invite a celebrity king to lead the parade, breaking with the Carnival tradition. Expect spectacular animated super-floats and covetable throws. The massive parade ends at the Convention Center for its annual black-tie Rendezvous party. The Krewe of Proteus is the second-oldest krewe in Carnival history, founded in Unbelievably, the floats still use the original chassis.

The identity of the king of the parade is never revealed to the public. The kings traditionally ride in a giant seashell float; throws include pearl bead necklaces and plastic tridents.

The floats are elaborately designed and decorated with oversized flowers and fiber optic lighting. Covetable throws include light-up medallion beads and stuffed dragons. Like Bacchus, Orpheus ends at the Convention Center for its black-tie ball, and invites celebrities to reign as parade royalty.

A family-friendly, quirky Red Beans parade of revelers clad in costumes that are decorated with and sometimes, made of dried red beans started in and traditionally rolls on Lundi Gras.

John neighborhood in Mid-City. Claiborne and Jackson avenues, weaving its way down St. Wherever you end up, however, Zulu is not to be missed. One of the oldest Carnival parades in the city, Zulu dates back to the early s. Louis Armstrong reigned as its King in Big Stuff. The parade is preceded by the coronation ball on Friday, February 21, , at the Convention Center. Rex , the King of Carnival, is the mothership of many Mardi Gras traditions, like doubloon throws and even the official Carnival colors of purple, green and gold.

The parade was founded in , apparently to impress the visiting Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia. Today the parade traditionally follows Zulu on Fat Tuesday, and consists of male riders. Traditionally, the city mayor hands Rex a symbolic key to the city on Lundi Gras, and Rex royalty meets the Zulu royalty.

The Krewe of Elks-Orleans , the oldest and largest of all the truck float krewes, follows Rex down St.