Mardi Gras in New Orleans falls on Tuesday 9 February 2027. Stay close enough to walk to the St. Charles Avenue route, and do not count on the streetcar on parade days. The 2027 parade times were not out when we checked on 13 October 2026, so this page gives the usual pattern and the 2026 transit rules, and says which is which.

The date and the parade season

Note: Mardi Gras Day (Fat Tuesday) is 9 February 2027. Lundi Gras is Monday 8 February. Carnival begins on 6 January, and parades roll in neighborhoods on weekends from then on. Parades are free to watch (New Orleans & Company, The Ultimate Mardi Gras Guide, read 13 Oct 2026, page undated)

Note: Usual days for the big parades: Endymion on Saturday, Bacchus on Sunday, Orpheus on Monday (Lundi Gras), Zulu and Rex on Tuesday (same page). This is the usual pattern. The 2027 schedule is unconfirmed

The tourism board says the biggest parades run in the final week before Fat Tuesday. For the best-known ones, plan to be in town by Saturday 6 February, if Endymion keeps its usual Saturday.

The main route follows St. Charles Avenue. Parades start near Napoleon Avenue and Tchoupitoulas Street, turn onto St. Charles and end at Canal Street near the river. Routes differ by krewe, so check each parade's own map when it is posted. The tourism board says ticketed grandstands line the route and suits downtown viewing best.

The St. Charles streetcar: do not plan around it

Getting there: In 2026 the RTA said the St. Charles streetcar was de-energized for the remainder of the parade season. Buses ran on the route until pedestrian traffic became unsafe. Shuttle buses ran between St. Charles and Valence and Loyola and Common. Regular streetcar service resumed Wednesday 18 February 2026 at 5:00 a.m. (RTA Mardi Gras 2026 streetcar page, read 13 Oct 2026, no posting date)

Getting there: Other lines in 2026: no streetcar on the Rampart corridor before and during parades, with buses 8, 55 and 91 on Rampart. The Canal line (47 and 48) was replaced by buses from Thursday 12 to Saturday 14 February 2026 (same page)

The 2026 page does not give the date the power went off. RTA also has no 2027 Mardi Gras page yet, so the 2026 plan is a guide and not a promise. RTA's own advice for parade days is to take an alternate bus route when you can, and to check its service alerts the same day.

There is one more thing to watch. RTA began rail work on the St. Charles line on 27 July 2026. The Carrollton Double Crossover job near the Carrollton and Claiborne end is expected to take about six months, says RTA's release of 23 July 2026. A bus bridge covers Carrollton and St. Charles to Carrollton and Claiborne while it goes on. RTA gave no end date. Six months from 27 July would be late January 2027, about two weeks before Mardi Gras. That is our arithmetic, not an RTA date.

Where to stand and what the city allows

Note: Set up no earlier than four hours before a parade starts. Ladders must be sturdy, free-standing and no taller than 6 feet, at least 6 feet from the curb, not fastened together and not left overnight. Tents, canopies and other enclosures are not allowed. Pets are not allowed on the routes, except service animals (City of New Orleans, Ready NOLA "Along the Route" page, read 13 Oct 2026, page undated)

Because you have no car, you can go to the route on foot and leave when you like. Pick a spot near where you are staying so the walk back is short. The tourism board says walking is the best way to get around.

Hotels: book early and stay near the route

The tourism board says to book as early as possible, and says hotels on St. Charles Avenue and near Canal Street fill first. It gives no date when rooms go on sale and no price. We did not check any hotel price for this page.

A hotel inside the walking area lets you skip the bus problem on the big days. If you stay farther out, plan for a long walk, or for buses that change their route.

What is checked here and what is not

Checked on 13 October 2026: New Orleans & Company's Mardi Gras guide, RTA's 2026 Mardi Gras streetcar page, RTA's service alerts page and its July 2026 release on the St. Charles rail work, and the city's Ready NOLA page on the parade route.

Not checked: any 2027 parade schedule, route or start time, any 2027 RTA service plan, the date the streetcar was de-energized in 2026, hotel prices or booking dates, and the city council's proposed changes to the parade rules. Several pages carry no posting date. We did not visit New Orleans for this page.