Mardi Gras 2026 Is Almost Here: When to Celebrate Fat Tuesday

“Laissez les bons temps rouler,” meaning, “Let the good times roll.”

Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday, is quickly approaching, so be ready to celebrate with vivid colors, merriment, parades, King Cakes, and a ton of beads.

Mardi Gras is traditionally celebrated with raucous music, street parties, and parades, which often take place in the days leading up to Fat Tuesday. According to Britannica, Carnival begins with Three Kings Day, commonly known as Epiphany, on January 6, which is a pre-Lent event celebrating the start of the new year and the regeneration of nature.

Here’s everything you need know about the festival as it approaches its pinnacle.

When is Mardi Gras 2026?

Mardi Gras, which translates from French to English as “Fat Tuesday,” will take place on Tuesday, February 17.

The Mardi Gras season, commonly known as Carnival, began 12 days after Christmas on January 6 and will continue until Fat Tuesday.

What is the origin of Mardi Gras?

According to History.com, Mardi Gras is a Christian event that originated thousands of years ago as pagan spring and fertility rites.

Christy Garrison-Harrison, an assistant professor of history and women, gender, and sexuality studies at Southern University and A&M College, previously told USA TODAY that Mardi Gras originated in medieval Europe, beginning in Rome and spreading to France. The tradition then spread throughout the colonies, and about 1699, French Canadians arrived in what is now Mobile, Alabama.

Back then, people celebrated “Boeuf Gras,” which means “fatted calf,” which was a time for people to indulge things like fatty foods, sugar, booze, and other goods considered “decadent,” according to Garrison-Harrison. They’d give themselves until the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, often known as Fat Tuesday, to indulge before beginning Lent, a 40-day period of fasting and penance before Easter Sunday.

The Mardi Gras Carnival season is mostly held in countries with strong Roman Catholic populations; currently, some of the world’s largest celebrations take place in Brazil, Venice, Italy, and New Orleans.

Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans

The famous Mardi Gras festivities in New Orleans originated in 1699, when two French explorers landed in what is now the city. According to History.com, the explorers had a brief party and named their landing location Point du Mardi Gras.

In According to New Orleans’ official website, in the years thereafter, the city and neighboring French colonies have begun to celebrate the festival with large-scale activities such as dinners, parties, and balls.

Mardi Gras is celebrated in many cities in Louisiana other than New Orleans. Mardi Gras is legal in only one state: Louisiana.

Mardi Gras in the United States

Although New Orleans is the most well-known, Mardi Gras is also celebrated in other American cities, including, but not limited to:

Mobile, Alabama (Often credited with starting Mardi Gras celebrations in the US)
Galveston, Texs
Biloxi, Mississippi
Pensacola, Florida
St. Louis, Missouri

What is eaten during Mardi Gras?

No Mardi Gras celebration is complete without King Cake. King Cakes, a circular cake with a brioche structure, are traditionally covered with icing and sugars in bright colors such as purple, green, and gold. It is typically filled with cream cheese or fruit.

Participants may find a small baby or bean inside the cake. Typically, whoever finds the object is in charge of throwing the following celebration.

How is Mardi Gras celebrated around the world?

Brazil hosts weeklong Carnival celebrations that combine African and European customs. Carnevale has been celebrated in Venice since the 13th century. Participants dance at the city’s legendary masquerade balls. Quebec City, Canada, hosts the Quebec Winter Carnival, which includes a night procession, a snow bath, an ice palace, and other activities.

Then there are other interesting traditions. In Germany, for example, women are encouraged to rip off men’s ties during festivities, while in Denmark, children dress up and collect candy in a ritual similar to Halloween.