Mardi Gras is a widely recognized holiday in the state of Louisiana, filling January—February with its iconic colors of purple, green and gold. Each year the holiday brings thousands of tourists to New Orleans to celebrate through parades and Mardi Gras balls. Fortunately, the history of Mardi Gras is just as rich as its culture today.

Mardi Gras is recognized as a Christian holiday, and in 2026 it ran 43 days, beginning on the Twelfth Night and ending on Mardi Gras day. Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras day) is celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent. The name Fat Tuesday comes from the tradition of indulging in rich foods, including meats and dairy, before fasting for Lent. In 1875, Governor Henry Warmoth signed the “Mardi Gras Act” establishing Fat Tuesday as a legal holiday.

Despite New Orleans being recognized as the starting point of Mardi Gras, credit is actually due to Mobile, Alabama.

“On March 2, 1699, French-Canadian explorer Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville arrived at a plot of ground 60 miles directly south of New Orleans, and named it ‘Pointe du Mardi Gras’,” according to Mardi Gras New Orleans website.

Bienville later established “Fort Louis de la Louisiana” in 1702 in modern day Mobile, celebrating the first Mardi Gras in the U.S. Bienville then established New Orleans in 1718, and celebrated Mardi Gras by 1730. However, the first official parade did not appear in New Orleans until 1837, and the first themed float parade came later in 1857 with The Mistick Krew of Comus.

Parades observed in New Orleans, while now involving electronics and high budgets, hold close to their centu- ry-old roots. Mardi Gras continues to stand as a time for people to have fun, party and enjoy the company of others, just as Bienville intended.