When Is Mardi Gras 2024?

The South unequivocally owns Mardi Gras. Between our over-the-top festivities in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama, everyone knows that if you want to properly celebrate Fat Tuesday, it’s got to be in the South. From cinnamon-swirled king cakes to lavish balls and float processions that rival the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, there’s so much to love about Mardi Gras. Unlike most holidays, which fall on the same day each year, Mardi Gras’s date changes each year. Keep reading for all the details on when to celebrate Mardi Gras 2024 and how to celebrate at home if you can't make it to the festivities.

When Is Mardi Gras 2024?

This year, Mardi Gras falls on Tuesday, February 13. Also called Carnival, Mardi Gras is celebrated on Fat Tuesday each year, which always lands precisely 47 days before Easter and one day before Ash Wednesday. Because Easter changes each year (it’s always the first Sunday after the full moon following the spring equinox), so does Mardi Gras. Easter can fall on any Sunday between March 23 and April 25, so Mardi Gras can be any day from February 3 to March 9.

While Mardi Gras’s biggest and final celebration arrives on Fat Tuesday (February 13 this year), the Carnival season always begins on Epiphany, which is always on January 6. So this year, the Mardi Gras season runs from January 6 through February 13.

What Is Mardi Gras?

Mardi Gras is a day of feasting and celebration that comes just before the sacrifices and fasting of the Lenten season in the Christian faith. The holiday is celebrated around the world, but in the U.S. it's most extravagantly done in Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans, Louisiana. Popular festivities and traditions include attending parades and masked balls, catching beads and doubloons, eating king cake, and general feasting and drinking.

What Foods Are Popular During Mardi Gras?

There’s no shortage of good food during Mardi Gras. Participate in the revelry all season long with classic recipes for popular dishes like gumbo, muffuletta sandwiches, jambalaya, and red beans and rice. From Mardi Gras snacks–think crawfish dip and homemade Moon Pies–to complete dinners, you can have the taste of the season from the comforts of home.

What Are King Cakes?

If you can’t make it to a Mardi Gras celebration, serve up some fun at home with these king cake-inspired recipes. The cake is named for the Three Wise Men who visited the Baby Jesus on the Twelfth Night. It is traditionally served from January 6 until Fat Tuesday.

• Praline-Cream Cheese King Cake
• King Cake Beignets
• Mini King Cake Cupcakes
• King Cake Monkey Bread

If you’re not interested in baking your own, you can mail-order your king cake and have it shipped to your house.

When Is Mardi Gras Next Year?

The dates for Mardi Gras change quite a bit over the next few years. In 2025, it falls on March 4. In 2026, it will arrive on February 17. And in 2027, Mardi Gras will be on February 9. If you’re planning a visit, the weekend before Fat Tuesday is usually the prime time to go, with two of the biggest parades scheduled then.