To alert the world that Mardi Gras and the carnival season are upon us, Rex, King of Carnival issues his proclamation via the New Orleans tourism industry to the world.

Carnival begins each year January 6, known as “Twelfth Night,” and lasts through Mardi Gras day, which falls on February 25, 2020. Thus, the city delivers the proclamation, created by the Rex organization’s School of Design, to citizens of the planet, beckoning them to attend the 2020 Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

“It is a great honor to announce the city's most famous event with Rex, King of Carnival,” said Stephen Perry, president and CEO of New Orleans & Company. “The Rex 2020 Royal proclamation continues a carnival tradition more than a century old.”

The Rex organization began creating its Royal Invitation in 1872 when a group of young New Orleans leaders decided to issue invitations and a proclamation, inviting all to come to the Crescent City to join in its unique Mardi Gras celebration. In the days before mass media, broadcast, and tourism industries, the beautiful art posters and brochures were distributed in railroad stations, plastered on train cars, posted in centers of commerce, and placed in public buildings around the nation in major U.S. cities.

The 2020 Royal Invitation incorporates artwork from 1886, inviting visitors to “gather, from far and near, to join in the many celebrations and processions which will shortly unfold under the joyful Carnival banner.”

Each year, New Orleans & Company issues an electronic version of the Invitation to the nation and to international destinations, as well as over 60,000 travel trade professionals and tour operators. 

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About New Orleans & Company
New Orleans & Company is a nationally accredited, 1,100-member destination marketing organization and the largest and most successful private economic development corporation in Louisiana. We help create $9.5 billion in new capital each year- more than any other business sector- by attracting millions of visitors, special events and conventions. New Orleans & Company and its members influence thousands of decision-makers and millions of visitors to choose New Orleans through direct sales, marketing, public relations, branding and visitor services at our New Orleans headquarters and offices in Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, and five countries. Consistently recognized as one of the top five destination marketing organizations in the country, New Orleans & Company celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2019. For more information, please visit http://www.neworleans.com/.

About the School of Design
Since Rex first paraded in 1872, millions and millions of happy residents and visitors have enjoyed the pageantry of Carnival Day in New Orleans.  The official name of the Rex Organization is the “School of Design,” but it is generally referred to as Rex or the Rex Organization. “Pro Bono Publico,” the Rex motto, means “for the public good” and appears on all official Rex documents. Rex places great emphasis on this motto and uses it as a basis for all of its policies, activities, and community initiatives, including the work of the Pro Bono Publico Foundation, formed in 2006. More information on the Rex Organization can be found at www.rexorganization.com; www.probonopublicofoundation.org.