The biggest Mardi Gras celebrations beyond New Orleans

Mardi Gras is celebrated in lavish style in Galveston, Texas — Photo courtesy of Visit Galveston

Everyone knows about Mardi Gras in New Orleans, the festive Carnival season filled with parades, balls, and parties that ends when Lent begins. But there are plenty of other cities with their own annual Fat Tuesday bacchanals.

Many, of course, are in Louisiana, where Mardi Gras is a legal holiday. You’ll find huge celebrations held all throughout the state, from Shreveport and Natchitoches in the north to Baton Rouge and Lafayette in the south.

Louisianans don’t have all the fun, however. There are other raucous pre-Lent festivals filled with beads, bands, and other seasonal bacchanalia. Here are four Mardi Gras celebrations beyond New Orleans worth checking out.

Note that officially Mardi Gras 2024 takes place on February 13, but the Carnival season begins as early as the first week of January in some locations, with the largest parades and parties happening around the weekend of February 10-11.

What is Mardi Gras and why is it celebrated?

Treasured beads of gold, green, and purple are plentiful in Pensacola. — Photo courtesy of Visit Pensacola

First things first: What is Mardi Gras, and why is it celebrated? Mardi Gras goes back much further than New Orleans’ first Carnival in 1837. In fact, New Orleans wasn’t even the first Mardi Gras celebration in the U.S.

Originally a pagan celebration associated with the coming of spring, the Romans adapted the festival tradition as a prelude to Lent and the 40 days of penance and fasting leading up to Easter Sunday. Later celebrations established in Europe occur from the Epiphany and culminate on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.

The origins of Mardi Gras in the United States can be traced back to medieval celebrations in Venice and Rome, as well as to the French House of the Bourbons, which held lavish celebrations. Those spread to the colonies and soon to southern settlements, including the Fort Louis de la Mobile, which was founded in 1703 and later became the city of Mobile, Alabama — home of the first Mardi Gras in America.

The classic Mardi Gras colors are all New Orleans, though. There’s some debate over why purple, green, and gold were selected in the 19th century. However, there is no confusion over what they mean, thanks to the Rex parade theme of 1892: Gold signifies power or purity of purpose; purple portrays royalty or justice; and green is a reminder of love, friendship, and faith.

Where is Mardi Gras celebrated outside of New Orleans?

You don’t have to go to the Big Easy to experience all the fun. Here are four other U.S. cities that celebrate Mardi Gras in style.

Mardi Gras in Mobile, Alabama

Enjoy the spectacle of a nighttime parade in Mobile, Alabama — Photo courtesy of Visit Mobile

Home of the first Mardi Gras celebration in America, Mobile proudly continues to honor long established traditions with parties, masked balls, and parades. Before the revelry, begin your adventure at the Mobile Carnival Museum, which highlights the history of local Mardi Gras traditions.

In 2024, more than 40 parades start to roll out on Jan. 26, with the most taking place between Feb. 11-13. Check out Mobile Mask for updated parade schedules, route maps, and general information.

Other ways to enjoy the fun include the Mobile Porch Parade of decorated houses. Honor one of Mobile’s favorite sons, the late Jimmy Buffett with a stay at The Battle House Renaissance Mobile Hotel & Spa, where he used to watch the parades roll by when he was growing up.

Sample local cuisine, bypass the crowds at restaurants, and get reserved seats for the parades with Bienville Bites Floats and Food Tour.

Mardi Gras in Galveston, Texas

Celebrate Mardi Gras by the sea in Galveston, Texas — Photo courtesy of Visit Galveston

The Mardi Gras celebration in Galveston, which dates back to an 1867 masked ball, is the largest in Texas. Today the Mardi Gras tradition includes beautiful beach sunsets while taking in free parades along Seawall Boulevard and many locations throughout the city.

For 2024, Galveston’s Mardi Gras celebrations run from Feb. 2-13 with lavish masked balls, parties, live music, a wide variety of events for all ages, and loads of parades.

Mardi Gras in St. Louis, Missouri

Second largest Mardi Gras festivities in the U.S. are held in St. Louis, Missouri — Photo courtesy of Explore St. Louis

What began in 1979 as a way for five bored guys to kick the winter doldrums has now become one of the largest Mardi Gras celebrations in the United States.

Since 1999, Mardi Gras in Soulard, the St. Louis neighborhood whose French name means “drunkard” in English, includes all the best things about Carnival — parties, parades, and other festivities — but also gives back to the community with improvement grants. So you can party on with the best intentions.

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Mardi Gras in St. Louis means weeks of events, which kick off with a Twelfth Night march and end with the Grand Parade, filled with floats from more than 130 Krewes, marching bands, and millions of beads. In between, there’s tons of fun with a family carnival, scavenger hunt, Cajun cook-off, and the Purina Pet Parade, a Guinness World Record holder for world’s largest costumed pet parade.

Insider tip: The Bud Light Party Tent and the Blues Alumni Experience are two of the most enjoyable ways to experience the Grand Parade during Mardi Gras in St. Louis. Both include an open bar with beer and spirits, a lunch buffet, and beads in a climate-controlled tent in close proximity to the parade route.

Mardi Gras in Pensacola, Florida

Mardi Gras has been celebrated in Pensacola since 1874 — Photo courtesy of Visit Pensacola

Mardi Gras in Pensacola goes back to 1874 when the first Knights of Priscus was formed. Today more than 100 krewes continue the merriment, which begins with a Twelfth Night celebration and culminates with a Grand Parade.

The largest Mardi Gras parades include the Krewe of Lafitte parade through downtown Pensacola and the Krew or Wrecks parade in Pensacola Beach. Pensacola makes an effort to be family-friendly with a designated kids’ viewing zone for parades, as well as holding the popular Kids and Kritters Mardi Gras Parade.

Get more info and helpful insider’s tips with this first-timer’s guide.