Mardi Gras 2026
📅 Tuesday, February 17, 2026
📝 About Mardi Gras 2026
Rooted in medieval European Catholic traditions, Mardi Gras — French for 'Fat Tuesday' — marks the final day of feasting before the Lenten season of fasting begins on Ash Wednesday. New Orleans has hosted America's most famous celebration since French explorers held the first recorded Mardi Gras on the Gulf Coast in 1699. Today the city's festivities span weeks, with over 70 parades organized by 'krewes' that toss beads, doubloons, and trinkets to crowds along St. Charles Avenue and Canal Street. The celebration pumps an estimated $1 billion into the local economy, and the tradition of king cake — a ring-shaped pastry hiding a tiny plastic baby — remains a beloved Carnival-season staple.
📋 Quick Facts
- Date
- Tuesday, February 17, 2026
- Day of the Week
- Tuesday
- Days Remaining
- 0
- Category
- Cultural Festivals
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
There are 0 days until Mardi Gras 2026 on Tuesday, February 17, 2026.
Mardi Gras 2026 is on Tuesday, February 17, 2026.
Rooted in medieval European Catholic traditions, Mardi Gras — French for 'Fat Tuesday' — marks the final day of feasting before the Lenten season of fasting begins on Ash Wednesday. New Orleans has hosted America's most famous celebration since French explorers held the first recorded Mardi Gras on the Gulf Coast in 1699. Today the city's festivities span weeks, with over 70 parades organized by 'krewes' that toss beads, doubloons, and trinkets to crowds along St. Charles Avenue and Canal Street. The celebration pumps an estimated $1 billion into the local economy, and the tradition of king cake — a ring-shaped pastry hiding a tiny plastic baby — remains a beloved Carnival-season staple.
Mardi Gras 2026 falls on a Tuesday.