The greater New Orleans area hosts about 80 parades every year, each with its own krewe rites and related festivities. For the unfamiliar, a “krewe” is a New Orleans carnival society. Krewes can be loose affiliations of friends or massive, organized entities with hierarchies and financial dues.
The Carnival season always kicks off on January 6, known as Twelfth Night, or the Epiphany, with four parades, and will culminate as usual on Mardi Gras Day (Fat Tuesday). Mardi Gras falls on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, and there is a steady stream of events and entertainment leading up to it.
Mardi Gras throws, a traditional part of the parade experience in New Orleans.
The Essence of a Krewe
Since no one can get to every activity going on the weekend preceding Fat Tuesday and leading up to Ash Wednesday (seriously, it’s not physically possible), here are some that offer the best and weirdest of Mardi Gras this parade season. Remember to pace yourself.
Throws and Parade Routes
By the way, when we mention “throws,” that just means something a float rider tosses to the parade audience. Throws can range from beads to toys to more individualized souvenirs. Note that all parades follow a set route; you can pick a spot anywhere along said route to watch the show, including the ticketed grandstands in the CBD and Warehouse District.
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Notable Krewes and Their Traditions
New Orleans is home to many krewes, each with its own unique traditions and history. Here are a few examples:
- Knights of Babylon: The Knights of Babylon go back to 1939 and honor the Carnival traditions by using the flambeaux and the floats with the same designs as decades ago. The king’s float is still drawn by a mule. Babylon’s 200 knights are led by their king, Sargon, whose identity is not revealed to the public.
- Knights of Chaos: According to Greek mythology, Chaos was the void out of which the universe and all its gods were created. In 2000, the Knights of Chaos filled the void created when the Knights of Momus stopped parading in 1992 after 100 years. The 225-member all-male krewe parades on the Thursday before Fat Tuesday (traditionally known as “Momus Thursday”). Like Momus, Chaos presents a satirical parade.
- Krewe of Muses: The Krewe of Muses is one of Carnival’s most popular parades thanks to its dazzling floats, top-notch marching bands, and bitingly humorous themes. The cup throw bears the design of the annual contest winner among the local school children. The winner also gets to ride as a guest of the krewe. Look for the iconic shoe float with this year’s honorary muse. And see if you can catch one of the most coveted throws of the Carnival season, the hand-decorated Muses shoe.
- Krewe of Bosom Buddies & Breast Friends: The Krewe of Bosom Buddies & Breast Friends is a walking krewe that parades in the French Quarter on the Friday before Mardi Gras. The parade starts and ends on Bourbon Street, and the krewe is usually dressed in tutus, bras and hats that reflect that year’s theme. The signature throw is a hand-decorated bra.
- Knights of Hermes: The Knights of Hermes has been around since the Great Depression and was one of the first parades to mobilize after Katrina. The satirical Le Krewe d’Etat traditionally follows Hermes with 21 floats plus its Captain and officers on horseback. The theme is secret until parade day. Look for members of the krewe dressed as walking skeletons handing out the D’Etat Gazette and wooden doubloons. The Gazette has illustrations and descriptions of the floats and is only available during the parade.
- Krewe of Iris: Amazingly, the Krewe of Iris has been around since 1917, making it the oldest female Carnival organization for women.
- Krewe of Tucks: The Krewe of Tucks was started in 1969 by a group of Loyola students and is named after the now-gone Uptown pub.
- Krewe of Endymion: These days, Krewe of Endymion is the only super krewe parade that graces Mid-City, and people camp out for days in advance, staking their spots (heard of Krewe of Chad?). While we won’t comment on that, we certainly understand the reasons for the parade’s immense popularity. With a whopping 3,100 riders and 37 floats (many are tandem units with up to nine sections!), plus celebrity guests and big-name bands, Endymion is an amazing spectacle.
- Krewe of Okeanos: Founded in 1949, the Krewe of Okeanos was originally a neighborhood parade on St. Claude Avenue but eventually moved to a traditional Uptown/Downtown route on St. Charles Avenue. Okeanos has about 250 male and female riders.
- Krewe of Mid-City: The Krewe of Mid-City also dates back a while, to 1933, and consists of 300 all-male members. The parade has a unique look featuring tinfoil as well as animation, and is known to rock themes irresistible to children.
- Krewe of Thoth: Thoth, founded in 1947, had been following its own parade route designed to pass several healthcare institutions that care for people with disabilities and illnesses (thus bringing the Carnival to those who otherwise wouldn’t be likely to see the parades rolling elsewhere). The krewe is known to throw generously and has 1,600 riders on its 50 floats.
- Box of Wine: 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 follows the Bacchus route, but you won’t mistake it for any other Uptown parade.
- Krewe of Bacchus: 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. Look for the Bacchus’ signature floats like its Kong Family and the Baccha-gator.
- Krewe of Proteus: The Krewe of Proteus is the second-oldest krewe in Carnival history, founded in 1882. Unbelievably, the floats still use the original chassis. The identity of the king of the parade is never revealed to the public.
- Krewe of Orpheus: Krewe of Orpheus was co-founded by musician/actor Harry Connick, Jr. and his father, Harry Connick, Sr., a former New Orleans district attorney. The floats are elaborately designed and decorated with oversized flowers and fiber optic lighting. Covetable throws include light-up medallion beads and stuffed dragons.
- Red Beans/Dead Beans: 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 2008 and traditionally rolls on Lundi Gras. There’s also a slew of outfits that celebrate Louisiana folklore and food. This highly participatory walking parade of about 150 members winds from the Marigny into the Tremé, where it meets up with the Dead Beans. Formed in 2018 as a Red Beans spin-off, Dead Beans walks from the Bayou St.
- Krewe of Zulu: The Krewe of Zulu parade begins bright and early on Mardi Gras Day at S. Claiborne and Jackson avenues, weaving its way down St. Charles Avenue to Lee Circle, then to Canal Street, and ending up at Broad and Orleans streets. 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 1900s. Zulu’s traditional honor guard, the Soulful Warriors, has a roster of characters that make an appearance each year, including Big Shot, Witch Doctor, Ambassador, Mayor, Province Prince, Governor, and Mr. Big Stuff. One of the most covetable throws of the Carnival is Zulu’s hand-painted, glitzed-up coconut.
- Rex: 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. Today, the parade traditionally follows Zulu on Fat Tuesday and consists of about 600 riders. The Krewe of Elks-Orleans, the oldest and largest of all the truck float krewes, follows Rex down St. The last parade of the Carnival, the Krewe of Crescent City, is also a truck parade.
- Society of St. Anne/Society of St. Cecilia: If you want to see some very impressive costumes, look for the Society of St. Anne walking parade. The members gather in the Bywater around Piety St. or so, through the Marigny and the Quarter to the Mississippi River, with many stops on the way. Along the lines of the St. Anne Society, the Society of St. Cecilia, which started marching in 2007, also walks from the Bywater around the same time to the river. The two processions inevitably merge at some point, then scatter, and are organically joined by fellow revelers.
If you want to see Mardi Gras Indians on the march, the fantastically evocative costumes of the North Side Skull & Bones Gang, and the dazzling performances of the Baby Dolls, head to the Backstreet Cultural Museum, where all of these elements, which draw on cultural traditions that speak to New Orleans’ deep African and Native American roots, swirl into a heady brew.
The North Side Skull & Bones Gang leaves the Backstreet Cultural Museum before dawn, according to the tradition started in the 1800s, to wake up the neighborhood on Fat Tuesday. You never know when the Mardi Indians show up and where, but the Museum is a reliable spot to catch them. You can also try looking under the Claiborne Bridge and at Orleans Avenue and N.
The few blocks of Frenchmen Street starting at the foot of Esplanade by Decatur, and the adjacent Washington Square, are the places to be on Mardi Gras Day as the crowds merge and meander, forming a massive, all-day-long street party. It’s perfect for people-watching and showing off your own costume, running into people you know, and just dancing in the street.
A marching band performs during Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
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