Lent is a Christian holiday that is about sacrifice. It is about abstaining from certain foods or habits, letting go of something you enjoy. It is typically a time of restraint and introspection. However, the period before Lent is very different. In Western Christianity, it is a festive time known as Carnival season, a time to let loose, indulge, and celebrate. Typically, Carnival season involves massive parades and public events, culminating in Mardi Gras. And nowhere celebrates Mardi Gras quite like New Orleans and Louisiana.
The festivities in Louisiana typically take place for the two weeks before and up to Shrove Tuesday, which is the day before Lent begins. The date Lent begins fluctuates, but typically it starts anywhere from mid-February to March. In Louisiana, where the sun remains hot no matter the time of year, it is still a great time for outdoor parades and festivities.
Louisiana is the capital of the Mardi Gras world every year. New Orleans hosts some of the biggest Mardi Gras parades you can find, and thousands of tourists head to the Big Easy to enjoy the event it is known best for. Bourbon Street, New Orleans’ primary nightlife district, is flooded with partiers and spectators that come to enjoy some of the wildest few nights of every calendar year.
However, 2021 marked a deviation from the normal in New Orleans and Louisiana. The famed Mardi Gras parades were nowhere to be found; the large crowds were off-limits. The city’s COVID-19 guidelines restricted Mardi Gras festivities to the point where it was nearly unrecognizable. It makes perfect sense that the city would have to shut down an event that brings people from across the country standing shoulder to shoulder at the height of a pandemic. However, there is some optimism that 2022 could see Mardi Gras return to its Louisiana normal.
According to New Orleans city leaders, Mardi Gras is on for 2022. According to Afar, 1.4 million visitors take to the streets in New Orleans to celebrate this event every year. It is a massive occasion for the state’s economy, and losing out on tourism and heightened spending would be a tough pill to swallow. Even as we witness a significant surge across the nation stemming from the Omicron Variant, there have been no cancellation talks.
Mardi Gras is set to take place on March 1st, 2022. Mardi Gras takes place on the day known as Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent Wednesday that is meant to be a day of indulgence before the sacrifices of Lent. While many places, from Rio De Janeiro to Venice, have major Mardi Gras/Carnival celebrations, no one does it quite like Louisiana.
Louisiana is one of the American states first settled by the French. One of the first French settlers named the area near New Orleans Pointe du Mardi Gras when he first arrived in the 17th century. Louisiana’s French and Cajun connection remains strong, and the history of Mardi Gras in the state runs deep. Since the 17th century, major Mardi Gras celebrations and masquerades have been celebrated in the state, and the festivities only grow in size every year.
The parades are already starting in New Orleans but will pick up more heavily once February rolls around. It’ll culminate on the day of Mardi Gras, where 11 different parades will occur in the city across locations. The festivities will start early, with the first parade rolling out at 8 am and will continue throughout the day. The parades are put on by the different krewes, the entertainers that plan and design the events. Many of the krewes have different themes, and they all compete amongst themselves for who can put on the biggest spectacle of all.
Each of the krewes creates incredible floats that often set records. These floats are incredible parts of the showmanship of the day, and they consistently contribute to making Mardi Gras parades to remember. It is a day of unparalleled festivity, where the energy is at an all-time high and revelers and parade lovers of all kinds take to the streets.
When you think Mardi Gras, chances are, one state comes to mind. After a muted 2021 where Mardi Gras in Louisiana was not the big event it normally is, 2022 appears poised to be different. The massive occasion is Louisiana’s calling card, and it is currently set to return in full force for weeks of festivities and fun, culminating in the final day of Mardi Gras.
