10 Reasons to Extend Your Presidents' Day Weekend for Mardi Gras in 2026

More time in the city means more time to really explore. You won’t feel like you need to stuff as much in, and you’ll actually get to experience some “normal” New Orleans, or as normal as it gets in the days leading up to Mardi Gras. If it’s a day without day parades, use it as an excuse to see parts of the city the floats don’t roll.

Hop on the ferry and explore historic Algiers Point. Take some time to stroll around the Bywater or Bayou St. John. You’ll still need to be mindful of traffic closures (especially getting back into the areas where the parades roll), but there’s an indescribable feeling and good mood that blankets the entire city during Mardi Gras. Being able to really experience that beyond the main celebrations is a true gift.

Catch day parades along the Saint Charles Avenue Route closer to Napoleon. It’s family-friendly, extremely local, and still incredibly festive and inviting to visitors all at the same time. You’ll make new friends along the neutral ground and have easy access to great food and cocktails along the route.

And while we’re talking about eating… let’s be real. It’s gotta be at least part of the reason you want to come, right? Get a slower start to the day and grab coffee and pastries before heading to the parades. Or see what food trucks are posted up along the route (real ones know that corn dogs, which are available at many stops along the route, are the real Mardi Gras meal MVP). We know you likely have Popeye’s wherever you live, but we’re not exaggerating when we say that Popeye’s in New Orleans tastes different, and Mardi Gras Popeye’s? Whole other level.

Grab Po-Boys or Muffulettas and have yourself a picnic. Parades, especially along the Uptown route, tend to end on the earlier side, so you can still have plenty of opportunities to dine in award-winning restaurants. 
 

Maybe the most underrated upside of a longer Mardi Gras stay? You can really lean into that marathon-not-a-sprint mindset and give yourself time to take it easier one night or get a later start another day. Plot out the things you want to do and then make sure you’re making time for sleep and hydration in between. With more days, you’ll keep the FOMO at bay.

New Orleanians take costumes seriously. Very seriously. And while we support whatever decision you make to costume yourself, if you want to really do it like a local? You gotta commit to a bit.

Carve out some time to visit a costume or vintage shop, or get crafty and make yourself something sparkly and splendid. Half the time, costumes aren’t actual things – but creative collections of glitter, sequins, wigs, and every sparkly material known to man, carefully (or not so carefully) constructed to convey celebration.

Planning on going to Bacchus? Head Uptown to the start of the route at Tchoupitoulas and Napoleon around 4 p.m. and catch the Battle of the Bands in the parking lot of Rouses grocery store (diagonal from Tipitina's). It’s an incredible concert made up of mostly high school and college marching bands, warming up and showing off before they take to the streets. 

The Krewe of Red Beans meets up for their march through the Bywater every Lundi Gras in costumes adorned with red beans. It’s a wild display of creativity and will give you an entirely new respect for legumes as crafting materials.

Or just ask locals what their favorite tradition is–everyone has the one thing they can’t miss every year. Chances are, they’ll be more than happy to share it with you. 
 

You won’t have to go far to find fun during Mardi Gras, but there are certain events, be it concerts that are held same place, same night each year, that are legendary in their own right. Check calendars, get tickets early when needed, and go out there and have yourself a good time.

OK, hear me out. If your kids are out of school for the weekend, why not make a family trip of it. “Kids? At Mardi Gras?” you may ask. And I say, “Yes. Kids. At Mardi Gras.”

Ask anyone who grew up here or who is currently raising children here, and they’ll confirm–Mardi Gras can absolutely be a certified, kid-friendly time. Stick to the areas along Napoleon or the upper parts of the route, and you’ll find tons of families. Kids play pickup games of football with throws they’ve gotten from parades, make new friends, try new foods, get to hear live music, and get to fully immerse themselves in an incredibly unique cultural experience that they can’t experience anywhere else.

If they have to miss an extra day of school, they miss an extra day. It’s cultural enrichment, baby. We’ll sign the excused absence note.

And then, at the end of the long weekend, you get the main event. And if you’ve decided to really do Mardi Gras, then really do Mardi Gras. It’s a real choose-your-own-amazing-adventure type day that you just lean into and see where it takes you. See the Skull and Bone Gang’s early morning walk through the Treme, try to catch a coveted coconut at Zulu, join in on the colorful (and, at times, solemn) march of Society of St. Anne’s march through the French Quarter to the banks of the Mississippi River, and swing by the bawdy and boisterous Bourbon Street Awards. The entire city celebrates–it’s like no other Tuesday on Earth.