By — Sara Cline, Associated Press Sara Cline, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/new-orleans-celebrates-mardi-gras-the-indulgent-conclusion-of-carnival-season Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter New Orleans celebrates Mardi Gras, the indulgent conclusion of Carnival season Nation Feb 17, 2026 11:26 AM EDT NEW ORLEANS, La. (AP) — As people head back to work Tuesday after the long holiday weekend, beads will be flying, crawfish boiling and parades rolling in New Orleans as the city celebrates Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday, marks the climax and end of the weekslong Carnival season and a final chance for indulgence, feasting and revelry before the Christian Lent period of sacrifice and reflection. The joyous goodbye to Carnival always falls the day before Ash Wednesday. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. Among the final parades in Louisiana's most populous city, which is world-famous for its Mardi Gras bash, is one hosted by the Zulu Social Aide & Pleasure Club. Marchers and float riders in the Zulu parade wear African-inspired garb and toss "throws" — trinkets that include plastic beads, candy, doubloons, stuffed animals, cups and toys. This parade's signature "throw" is hand-decorated coconuts, coveted items that many revelers hope for. Later in the day Rex, the King of Carnival parade will roll along St. Charles Avenue, lined by paradegoers and stately oak trees covered in Spanish moss and beads. Attendees participate in the annual Krewe of Muses parade Feb. 12 during the Mardi Gras season in New Orleans. Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP. Carnival events are popular for their spectacular and enormous floats, and also the intricately crafted outfits worn, such as Black masking Indians, whose beaded and bejeweled costumes are topped with feathered headdresses, or paradegoers walking the French Quarter in homemade costumes that capture the unique spirit of the Big Easy. READ MORE: How biodegradable beads may help make Mardi Gras more sustainable The good times will roll not just in New Orleans but all across the state, from exclusive balls to the Cajun French tradition of the Courir de Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday Run — a rural event in Central Louisiana featuring costumed participants performing, begging for ingredients and chasing after live chickens to be cooked in a communal gumbo. Parades are also held in other Gulf Coast cities such as Mobile, Alabama, and Pensacola, Florida, and there are other world-renowned celebrations in Brazil and Europe. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now By — Sara Cline, Associated Press Sara Cline, Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS, La. (AP) — As people head back to work Tuesday after the long holiday weekend, beads will be flying, crawfish boiling and parades rolling in New Orleans as the city celebrates Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday, marks the climax and end of the weekslong Carnival season and a final chance for indulgence, feasting and revelry before the Christian Lent period of sacrifice and reflection. The joyous goodbye to Carnival always falls the day before Ash Wednesday. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. Among the final parades in Louisiana's most populous city, which is world-famous for its Mardi Gras bash, is one hosted by the Zulu Social Aide & Pleasure Club. Marchers and float riders in the Zulu parade wear African-inspired garb and toss "throws" — trinkets that include plastic beads, candy, doubloons, stuffed animals, cups and toys. This parade's signature "throw" is hand-decorated coconuts, coveted items that many revelers hope for. Later in the day Rex, the King of Carnival parade will roll along St. Charles Avenue, lined by paradegoers and stately oak trees covered in Spanish moss and beads. Attendees participate in the annual Krewe of Muses parade Feb. 12 during the Mardi Gras season in New Orleans. Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP. Carnival events are popular for their spectacular and enormous floats, and also the intricately crafted outfits worn, such as Black masking Indians, whose beaded and bejeweled costumes are topped with feathered headdresses, or paradegoers walking the French Quarter in homemade costumes that capture the unique spirit of the Big Easy. READ MORE: How biodegradable beads may help make Mardi Gras more sustainable The good times will roll not just in New Orleans but all across the state, from exclusive balls to the Cajun French tradition of the Courir de Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday Run — a rural event in Central Louisiana featuring costumed participants performing, begging for ingredients and chasing after live chickens to be cooked in a communal gumbo. Parades are also held in other Gulf Coast cities such as Mobile, Alabama, and Pensacola, Florida, and there are other world-renowned celebrations in Brazil and Europe. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now