fat tuesday 2026: New Orleans parades, throws and a last day of revelry
On Feb. 17, 2026 (ET), streets in New Orleans swelled with costumed revelers, marching bands and towering floats as the city marked Fat Tuesday — the final day of Carnival before Lent. Spectators lined historic avenues at sunrise, calling out the familiar chant that has defined the city’s signature celebration and snatching beads, doubloons and coveted parade throws from passing krewe members.
Scenes from the parade route: color, music and coveted throws
The city’s famed parade routes filled early as fans claimed spots with chairs, ladders and coolers. Floats rolled down St. Charles Avenue and spilled into the French Quarter, where ornate costumes — from feathered headdresses to glittered Egyptian-inspired ensembles — drew cheers and applause. Marching bands punctuated the procession with brass-driven rhythms that echoed through neighborhoods, while second-line dancers and onlookers moved to the beat.
Each krewe handed out signature “throws”: plastic beads, candy, stuffed animals, cups and the beloved doubloons. One of Carnival’s most prized items — hand-decorated coconuts tossed by a longtime krewe — glinted under the winter sun when a reveler in a crawfish costume paraded a coconut overhead to the delight of the crowd. Homemade costumes mingled with elaborate, beaded traditional suits, underscoring the city’s blend of pageantry and grassroots creativity.
Tradition, indulgence and the wider Gulf Coast celebration
Fat Tuesday is the culmination of weeks of Carnival activities and the final opportunity for indulgence before the Christian season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026 (ET). For many attendees it’s a ritual: feasting on rich foods, attending balls and joining parades that trace back generations. Locals and visitors embraced the day as a time to let loose, with some sipping festive adult beverages in place of their usual morning coffee.
The revelry extended beyond New Orleans. Parades and community events across the Gulf Coast, from coastal cities to rural parades that chase ingredients for communal gumbo, echoed the city’s celebratory tone. Traditional rural runs of Mardi Gras featured costumed participants performing and playfully begging for foodstuffs, maintaining a distinctly regional flavor of the holiday.
Dates and the calendar: what comes next in 2026
With Fat Tuesday on Feb. 17, 2026 (ET), Ash Wednesday arrives the next day, Feb. 18, 2026 (ET), marking the start of Lent — a 40-day period of fasting, prayer and reflection leading up to Easter. Easter Sunday this year falls on April 5, 2026 (ET). Observers who follow other liturgical calendars noted that Eastern Orthodox Easter will be observed on April 12, 2026 (ET).
For many, the transition from Carnival to Lent is as much spiritual as it is social: a final day of excess followed by a season of restraint. Others treat the events as cultural highlights, returning year after year for the music, costumes and sense of community that define Mardi Gras.
Amid the revelry, footage from the day captured a high-profile arrest that drew attention from attendees and visitors. The moment underscored how a bustling city, teeming with thousands of visitors and locals, can produce both spontaneous joy and unexpected incidents on its busiest celebratory day.
As night fell on Feb. 17, the revelers’ chants and the echoes of brass bands faded into the city’s alleys and balconies. For many, the party served as a reminder: Carnival’s good times will roll again next season, but Fat Tuesday remains the symbolic, indulgent farewell to a uniquely American festival rooted in centuries of tradition.
