Methodology and sources
Three kinds of date appear on this site, and every one is labelled.
- Fixed date Calendar-certain. Fixed feasts (Twelfth Night, St. Joseph's Day, All Saints' Day…), dates computed from Easter (Mardi Gras, Lundi Gras, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday), and US federal rules (Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November).
- Announced by organiser Announced by the organiser. Only from the organiser's own site, quoted, with the date we checked. Press reports alone do not count. Held marks dates that have already taken place, from organisers or local press.
- Usual pattern, not announced Usual pattern. Organisers set these dates. We describe their usual habit with a source and project it so you can plan, but we never present it as a date. Usual month only is used where even the weekend is not predictable.
Easter and Mardi Gras: computed, then checked
Easter is computed with the anonymous Gregorian algorithm (Meeus/Jones/Butcher); Mardi Gras is Easter minus 47 days. The build compares every year with independent published tables and refuses to publish if any date disagrees. Result of this build: 49 of 49 checks agree.
Easter Sunday
| Year | Computed | U.S. Census Bureau, X-13ARIMA-SEATS 'Date of Easter (2000-2099)' | Wikipedia, List of dates for Easter (Western/Gregorian column) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 5 Apr | 5 Apr ✓ | 5 Apr ✓ |
| 2027 | 28 Mar | 28 Mar ✓ | 28 Mar ✓ |
| 2028 | 16 Apr | 16 Apr ✓ | 16 Apr ✓ |
| 2029 | 1 Apr | 1 Apr ✓ | 1 Apr ✓ |
| 2030 | 21 Apr | 21 Apr ✓ | 21 Apr ✓ |
| 2031 | 13 Apr | 13 Apr ✓ | 13 Apr ✓ |
| 2032 | 28 Mar | 28 Mar ✓ | 28 Mar ✓ |
| 2033 | 17 Apr | 17 Apr ✓ | 17 Apr ✓ |
| 2034 | 9 Apr | 9 Apr ✓ | 9 Apr ✓ |
| 2035 | 25 Mar | 25 Mar ✓ | 25 Mar ✓ |
Tables: U.S. Census Bureau, X-13ARIMA-SEATS 'Date of Easter (2000-2099)' (checked 2026-10-26); Wikipedia, List of dates for Easter (Western/Gregorian column) (checked 2026-10-26).
Fat Tuesday
| Year | Computed | New Orleans & Company (neworleans.com), Future Mardi Gras Dates | calendrier-365.fr, Mardi Gras dates (independent French calendar site; Western Mardi Gras is the same date) | Galveston.com, Future Mardi Gras Dates (partial, to 2031) | Wikipedia, Mardi Gras infobox (partial) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 17 Feb | – | 17 Feb ✓ | 17 Feb ✓ | 17 Feb ✓ |
| 2027 | 9 Feb | 9 Feb ✓ | 9 Feb ✓ | 9 Feb ✓ | 9 Feb ✓ |
| 2028 | 29 Feb | 29 Feb ✓ | 29 Feb ✓ | 29 Feb ✓ | 29 Feb ✓ |
| 2029 | 13 Feb | 13 Feb ✓ | 13 Feb ✓ | 13 Feb ✓ | – |
| 2030 | 5 Mar | 5 Mar ✓ | 5 Mar ✓ | 5 Mar ✓ | – |
| 2031 | 25 Feb | 25 Feb ✓ | 25 Feb ✓ | 25 Feb ✓ | – |
| 2032 | 10 Feb | 10 Feb ✓ | 10 Feb ✓ | – | – |
| 2033 | 1 Mar | 1 Mar ✓ | 1 Mar ✓ | – | – |
| 2034 | 21 Feb | 21 Feb ✓ | 21 Feb ✓ | – | – |
| 2035 | 6 Feb | 6 Feb ✓ | 6 Feb ✓ | – | – |
Tables: New Orleans & Company (neworleans.com), Future Mardi Gras Dates (checked 2026-10-26); calendrier-365.fr, Mardi Gras dates (independent French calendar site; Western Mardi Gras is the same date) (checked 2026-10-26); Galveston.com, Future Mardi Gras Dates (partial, to 2031) (checked 2026-10-26); Wikipedia, Mardi Gras infobox (partial) (checked 2026-10-26).
How often the usual patterns held
For every festival and krewe with a pattern rule, we projected the rule onto each year for which we have a real date (held or announced) and compared. 73 of 79 fell exactly on the projected start date. The misses are why pattern dates are never shown as dates.
| Event | Year | Usual pattern gives | Actual start | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Patrick's | 2026 | Sat 14 Mar | Sat 14 Mar (held) | exact |
| St. Joseph's & Super Sunday | 2024 | Sun 17 Mar | Sun 24 Mar (held) | +7 days |
| St. Joseph's & Super Sunday | 2025 | Sun 16 Mar | Sun 16 Mar (held) | exact |
| St. Joseph's & Super Sunday | 2026 | Sun 15 Mar | Sun 15 Mar (held) | exact |
| Tennessee Williams Fest | 2024 | Wed 27 Mar | Wed 20 Mar (held) | -7 days |
| Tennessee Williams Fest | 2025 | Wed 26 Mar | Wed 26 Mar (held) | exact |
| Tennessee Williams Fest | 2026 | Wed 25 Mar | Wed 25 Mar (held) | exact |
| Tennessee Williams Fest | 2027 | Wed 24 Mar | Wed 24 Mar (announced) | exact |
| Crescent City Classic | 2024 | Sat 30 Mar | Sat 30 Mar (held) | exact |
| Crescent City Classic | 2025 | Sat 19 Apr | Sat 19 Apr (held) | exact |
| Crescent City Classic | 2026 | Sat 4 Apr | Sat 4 Apr (held) | exact |
| Crescent City Classic | 2027 | Sat 27 Mar | Sat 27 Mar (announced) | exact |
| French Quarter Fest | 2024 | Thu 11 Apr | Thu 11 Apr (held) | exact |
| French Quarter Fest | 2025 | Thu 10 Apr | Thu 10 Apr (held) | exact |
| French Quarter Fest | 2026 | Thu 9 Apr | Thu 16 Apr (held) | +7 days |
| French Quarter Fest | 2027 | Thu 8 Apr | Thu 8 Apr (announced) | exact |
| Jazz Fest | 2024 | Thu 25 Apr | Thu 25 Apr (held) | exact |
| Jazz Fest | 2025 | Thu 24 Apr | Thu 24 Apr (held) | exact |
| Jazz Fest | 2026 | Thu 23 Apr | Thu 23 Apr (held) | exact |
| Bayou Boogaloo | 2024 | Fri 17 May | Fri 17 May (held) | exact |
| Bayou Boogaloo | 2025 | Fri 16 May | Fri 16 May (held) | exact |
| Bayou Boogaloo | 2026 | Fri 15 May | Fri 15 May (held) | exact |
| Essence Fest | 2024 | Fri 5 Jul | Thu 4 Jul (held) | -1 days |
| Essence Fest | 2025 | Fri 4 Jul | Fri 4 Jul (held) | exact |
| Essence Fest | 2026 | Fri 3 Jul | Fri 3 Jul (held) | exact |
| Satchmo SummerFest | 2024 | Sat 3 Aug | Sat 3 Aug (held) | exact |
| Satchmo SummerFest | 2025 | Sat 2 Aug | Sat 2 Aug (held) | exact |
| Satchmo SummerFest | 2026 | Sat 1 Aug | Sat 1 Aug (held) | exact |
| Satchmo SummerFest | 2027 | Sat 31 Jul | Sat 31 Jul (announced) | exact |
| Southern Decadence | 2024 | Thu 29 Aug | Thu 29 Aug (held) | exact |
| Southern Decadence | 2025 | Thu 28 Aug | Thu 28 Aug (held) | exact |
| Bayou Classic | 2024 | Thu 28 Nov | Sat 30 Nov (held) | +2 days |
| Bayou Classic | 2025 | Thu 27 Nov | Sat 29 Nov (held) | +2 days |
| Bayou Classic | 2026 | Thu 26 Nov | Thu 26 Nov (announced) | exact |
| Celebration in the Oaks | 2025 | Fri 28 Nov | Fri 28 Nov (held) | exact |
| Celebration in the Oaks | 2026 | Fri 27 Nov | Fri 27 Nov (announced) | exact |
| Levee bonfires | 2026 | Fri 11 Dec | Fri 11 Dec (announced) | exact |
| Zulu | 2025 | Tue 4 Mar | Tue 4 Mar (held) | exact |
| Zulu | 2026 | Tue 17 Feb | Tue 17 Feb (held) | exact |
| Rex | 2025 | Tue 4 Mar | Tue 4 Mar (held) | exact |
| Rex | 2026 | Tue 17 Feb | Tue 17 Feb (held) | exact |
| Endymion | 2025 | Sat 1 Mar | Sat 1 Mar (held) | exact |
| Endymion | 2026 | Sat 14 Feb | Sat 14 Feb (held) | exact |
| Bacchus | 2025 | Sun 2 Mar | Sun 2 Mar (held) | exact |
| Bacchus | 2026 | Sun 15 Feb | Sun 15 Feb (held) | exact |
| Muses | 2025 | Thu 27 Feb | Thu 27 Feb (held) | exact |
| Muses | 2026 | Thu 12 Feb | Thu 12 Feb (held) | exact |
| Orpheus | 2025 | Mon 3 Mar | Mon 3 Mar (held) | exact |
| Orpheus | 2026 | Mon 16 Feb | Mon 16 Feb (held) | exact |
| Proteus | 2025 | Mon 3 Mar | Mon 3 Mar (held) | exact |
| Proteus | 2026 | Mon 16 Feb | Mon 16 Feb (held) | exact |
| Iris | 2025 | Sat 1 Mar | Sat 1 Mar (held) | exact |
| Iris | 2026 | Sat 14 Feb | Sat 14 Feb (held) | exact |
| Tucks | 2025 | Sat 1 Mar | Sat 1 Mar (held) | exact |
| Tucks | 2026 | Sat 14 Feb | Sat 14 Feb (held) | exact |
| Thoth | 2025 | Sun 2 Mar | Sun 2 Mar (held) | exact |
| Thoth | 2026 | Sun 15 Feb | Sun 15 Feb (held) | exact |
| Hermes | 2025 | Fri 28 Feb | Fri 28 Feb (held) | exact |
| Hermes | 2026 | Fri 13 Feb | Fri 13 Feb (held) | exact |
| d'Etat | 2025 | Fri 28 Feb | Fri 28 Feb (held) | exact |
| d'Etat | 2026 | Fri 13 Feb | Fri 13 Feb (held) | exact |
| Krewe du Vieux | 2025 | Sat 15 Feb | Sat 15 Feb (held) | exact |
| Krewe du Vieux | 2026 | Sat 31 Jan | Sat 31 Jan (held) | exact |
| Cleopatra | 2025 | Fri 21 Feb | Fri 21 Feb (held) | exact |
| Cleopatra | 2026 | Fri 6 Feb | Fri 6 Feb (held) | exact |
| Pontchartrain | 2025 | Sat 22 Feb | Sat 22 Feb (held) | exact |
| Pontchartrain | 2026 | Sat 7 Feb | Sat 7 Feb (held) | exact |
| Alla | 2025 | Wed 26 Feb | Wed 26 Feb (held) | exact |
| Alla | 2026 | Wed 11 Feb | Wed 11 Feb (held) | exact |
| Babylon | 2025 | Thu 27 Feb | Thu 27 Feb (held) | exact |
| Babylon | 2026 | Thu 12 Feb | Thu 12 Feb (held) | exact |
| Chaos | 2025 | Thu 27 Feb | Thu 27 Feb (held) | exact |
| Chaos | 2026 | Thu 12 Feb | Thu 12 Feb (held) | exact |
| Morpheus | 2025 | Fri 28 Feb | Fri 28 Feb (held) | exact |
| Morpheus | 2026 | Fri 13 Feb | Fri 13 Feb (held) | exact |
| Okeanos | 2025 | Sun 2 Mar | Sun 2 Mar (held) | exact |
| Okeanos | 2026 | Sun 15 Feb | Sun 15 Feb (held) | exact |
| Mid-City | 2025 | Sun 2 Mar | Sun 2 Mar (held) | exact |
| Mid-City | 2026 | Sun 15 Feb | Sun 15 Feb (held) | exact |
Where each "usual timing" comes from
| Event | Usual timing (our summary) | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mardi Gras | Always a Tuesday, 47 days before Easter Sunday, so it falls between 3 February and 9 March. | neworleans.com/events/holidays-seasonal/mardi-g… | 2026-10-26 |
| Twelfth Night | Every year on 6 January. Both Twelfth Night processions are tied to the date itself, not to a weekend. | joanofarcparade.org/ | 2026-10-26 |
| Krewe du Vieux | In 2025 and 2026 it rolled on the Saturday 17 days before Fat Tuesday (the third Saturday before Mardi Gras). | kreweduvieux.org/ | 2026-10-26 |
| Parade season | Uptown parades run most days from the second Friday before Mardi Gras through Fat Tuesday; the exact line-up is set each year by the City Council. | council.nola.gov/news/january-2026/city-council… | 2026-10-26 |
| Lundi Gras | The day before Fat Tuesday. | calendar rule | – |
| Ash Wednesday | The day after Fat Tuesday, 46 days before Easter. | calendar rule | – |
| St. Patrick's | St. Patrick's Day is 17 March. The Irish Channel parade usually rolls around 1 p.m. on the Saturday before, after a noon Mass at St. Mary's Assumption Church. | fox8live.com/2026/03/06/79th-annual-irish-chann… | 2026-10-26 |
| St. Joseph's & Super Sunday | St. Joseph's Day is always 19 March, with most altars open on the 18th and 19th. Uptown Super Sunday is usually the third Sunday in March; the city's tourism board describes it that way, and 2025 (16 March) and 2026 (15 March) followed it. | neworleans.com/events/holidays-seasonal/saint-j… | 2026-10-26 |
| Tennessee Williams Fest | Usually Wednesday to Sunday in late March, the weekend closest to Williams's 26 March birthday, avoiding Easter Sunday where it can. | tennesseewilliams.net/about/faq/ | 2026-10-26 |
| Crescent City Classic | The Saturday before Easter Sunday, so it moves with Easter between late March and late April. | caesarssuperdome.com/events/detail/crescentcity… | 2026-10-26 |
| Easter | Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the ecclesiastical full moon on or after 21 March, so between 22 March and 25 April. | census.gov/data/software/x13as/genhol/easter-da… | 2026-10-26 |
| French Quarter Fest | Usually Thursday to Sunday on the second weekend of April. 2026 was an exception and ran a week later (16–19 April). | frenchquarterfest.org/ | 2026-10-26 |
| Jazz Fest | Usually two Thursday-to-Sunday weekends: the last weekend of April and the first weekend of May. In 2024, 2025 and 2026 the second weekend ended on the first Sunday of May. | jazzandheritage.org/2026-new-orleans-jazz-fest/ | 2026-10-26 |
| Bayou Boogaloo | Usually Friday to Sunday in mid-May; 2024, 2025 and 2026 all began on the third Friday of May. | neworleans.com/articles/post/mid-city-bayou-boo… | 2026-10-26 |
| NOWFE | Usually Wednesday to the weekend in early-to-mid June. It moved from late May in recent years, so older guides are out of date. | nola.com/entertainment_life/eat-drink/wine-fest… | 2026-10-26 |
| Creole Tomato Fest | A Saturday and Sunday in early June: the first weekend of June in 2025 and 2026, the second in 2024. | frenchmarket.org/creoletomatofest/ctfvendor/ | 2026-10-26 |
| Essence Fest | Usually over the Fourth of July weekend. Whether it stays in New Orleans for 2027 was in doubt when we checked: the city contract was being renegotiated. | nola.com/news/will-essence-have-to-compete-to-s… | 2026-10-26 |
| Satchmo SummerFest | A Saturday and Sunday at the start of August, ending on the Sunday on or just before Armstrong's 4 August birthday. In 2027 that puts it on 31 July–1 August. | frenchquarterfest.org/2025-satchmo-summerfest-p… | 2026-10-26 |
| Southern Decadence | Labor Day weekend (the first Monday of September and the days before), with the grand marshals' walking parade on the Sunday afternoon. | sdparade.com/ | 2026-10-26 |
| Krewe of BOO! | A Saturday evening in mid-to-late October, one to two weeks before Halloween, rolling at about 6:30 p.m. | kreweofboo.com/ | 2026-10-26 |
| Halloween | 31 October, followed the next day by All Saints' Day. | kreweofboo.com/ | 2026-10-26 |
| All Saints' Day | Every year on 1 November. | 64parishes.org/?p=1015 | 2026-10-26 |
| Freret Fest | A Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. It was traditionally held in late March or early April but moved to the fall; 2025 was 1 November and 2026 was 31 October. | freretstreetfestival.org/ | 2026-10-26 |
| Po-Boy Fest | One Sunday in late October to mid-November, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. | poboyfest.com/ | 2026-10-26 |
| Bayou Classic | Thanksgiving weekend: a parade on Thanksgiving Day, the Battle of the Bands on Friday and the Grambling–Southern game on Saturday. | mybayouclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/t… | 2026-10-26 |
| Celebration in the Oaks | Nightly from the day after Thanksgiving through 1 January. | celebrationintheoaks.com/ | 2026-10-26 |
| Levee bonfires | The bonfires are lit at about 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve. A Festival of the Bonfires in Lutcher, usually on the second weekend of December, previews them. | wbrz.com/news/st-james-parish-prepares-for-chri… | 2026-10-26 |
| Christmas & Réveillon | Réveillon menus are offered through December; Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are 24 and 25 December. | myneworleans.com/the-history-of-the-reveillon-d… | 2026-10-26 |
| New Year's Eve | 31 December. | allstatesugarbowl.org/news/2026/2/3/game-dates.aspx | 2026-10-26 |
| Sugar Bowl | Traditionally 1 January; now set each season by the College Football Playoff rotation, from 31 December to mid-January. | allstatesugarbowl.org/news/2026/2/3/game-dates.aspx | 2026-10-26 |
| Voodoo Fest | Last held 25–27 October 2019 in City Park. On indefinite hiatus since 2020. | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voodoo_Music_%2B_Arts_Exp… | 2026-10-26 |
Krewe slots come from the 2025 and 2026 parade schedules published by the City Council and local media (fox8live.com, wwno.org, wafb.com, council.nola.gov), checked 26 October 2026; every page lists its own sources.
Weather data
Monthly highs, lows, rainfall and dew point come from the TerraClimate 1991–2020 climatology (Abatzoglou et al. 2018, CC0), read over OPeNDAP for the grid cell containing Jackson Square. Dew point is derived from TerraClimate's vapour pressure; we do not publish relative humidity, which that method gets wrong.
Cross-check against NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals for New Orleans International Airport (MSY, station USW00012916, US public domain). The airport is about 18 km west of the French Quarter, inland and suburban, so small differences are expected; TerraClimate runs slightly warmer by day and cooler at night.
| Month | High °C TerraClimate / NOAA | Low °C TerraClimate / NOAA | Rain mm TerraClimate / NOAA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17.8 / 16.9 (+0.9) | 6.4 / 7.8 (-1.4) | 130 / 132 |
| Feb | 20.0 / 19.1 (+0.9) | 8.4 / 9.8 (-1.4) | 150 / 105 |
| Mar | 23.4 / 22.4 (+1.0) | 11.6 / 12.9 (-1.3) | 112 / 111 |
| Apr | 26.8 / 25.8 (+1.0) | 14.9 / 16.5 (-1.6) | 119 / 133 |
| May | 30.5 / 29.6 (+0.9) | 19.2 / 20.6 (-1.4) | 125 / 143 |
| Jun | 32.8 / 32.2 (+0.6) | 22.4 / 23.7 (-1.3) | 197 / 194 |
| Jul | 33.7 / 33.0 (+0.7) | 23.5 / 24.7 (-1.2) | 184 / 172 |
| Aug | 33.6 / 32.9 (+0.7) | 23.5 / 24.8 (-1.3) | 197 / 176 |
| Sep | 31.8 / 31.2 (+0.6) | 21.8 / 23.1 (-1.3) | 153 / 130 |
| Oct | 27.9 / 27.0 (+0.9) | 16.3 / 17.9 (-1.6) | 97 / 94 |
| Nov | 22.7 / 21.8 (+0.9) | 10.7 / 12.1 (-1.4) | 110 / 98 |
| Dec | 19.2 / 18.2 (+1.0) | 7.6 / 9.1 (-1.5) | 123 / 122 |
Highs differ by at most 1.0°C in any month and lows by at most 1.6°C. Hurricane season dates (1 June–30 November) are from the NOAA National Hurricane Center. Fetched 2026-10-26.
Photos
All photos are from Wikimedia Commons, chosen by eye from contact sheets and pinned by file name. We accept only public domain, CC0, CC BY and CC BY-SA licences, re-check the licence on every fetch, and serve re-encoded copies from this site. Credits appear under each photo; the full list:
- Mardi Gras 2020, New Orleans, Louisiana - Evening Float.jpg: Sergey Galyonkin, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Mardi Gras 2020, New Orleans, Louisiana - Float figure.jpg: Sergey Galyonkin, CC BY-SA 2.0
- New Orleans Mardi Gras 2019 -Demonic Parade.jpg: Bart Everson, CC BY 2.0
- Orpheus Parade New Orleans Mardi Gras 2014 Tarantino.jpg: Michael Homan, CC BY 2.0
- Pericles the Prince of Tyre Float New Orleans Mardi Gras 1898.jpg: Unknown (1898 float design), Public domain
- Comus parade bulletin New Orleans Mardi Gras 1927.jpg: Unknown (1927 parade bulletin), Public domain
- Mardi Gras king - Rex parade, New Orleans, late 1940s.jpg: Janice Waltzer, CC BY 2.0
- The Calf krewe — New Orleans, USA.jpg: Andrea Ciambra, CC BY 2.0
- Proclamation King of Carnival 1936.jpg: Rex / School of Design, New Orleans, Public domain
- Mardi-gras-534566 1280 - King Zulu on Canal Street.jpg: Fordito (pixabay.com), CC0
- Mardi Gras 2009 - Krewe of Bacchus 04.jpg: nola.agent, CC BY 2.0
- Hail the Mystical Occult Symbolism of Endymion.jpg: Bart Everson, CC BY 2.0
- Mardi Gras 2020, New Orleans, Louisiana - 04.jpg: Sergey Galyonkin, CC BY-SA 2.0
- New Orleans, LA (French Quarter) - Krewe du Vieux 2011 02.jpg: JasonParis, CC BY 2.0
- Cathedral and Jackson Statue, New Orleans October 2024.jpg: lukeharold, CC0
- FQF2010JaxSqCabildo.JPG: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY 3.0
- FQF13 Fri Opening Secondline Paulin Bros Band 1.jpg: Derek Bridges, CC BY 2.0
- Alexander and Banks Second Line, New Orleans.jpg: Bart Everson, CC BY 2.0
- New Leviathan OFTO String Section at Jazz Fest.jpg: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 20080622 St. Charles St. Trolley behind tree with Mardi Gras beads.JPG: TonyTheTiger, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Bead Tree - New Orleans, March 2015.jpg: pasa47, CC BY 2.0
- Goat cheese and apple king cake, New Orleans 2021 - Whole.jpg: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tunnel of Light - Celebration in the Oaks, New Orleans.jpg: Bart Everson, CC BY 2.0
- Steamboat Natchez. New Orleans. (48759732042).jpg: Bernard Spragg. NZ from Christchurch, New Zealand, CC0
- French Quarter New Orleans Louisiana 2019 64.jpg: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bourbon Street, New Orleans from St Louis Street 2.JPG: MusikAnimal, CC BY-SA 4.0
_-_Krewe_du_Vieux_2011_02.jpg){kind=link}
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Corrections
Dates change. If an organiser announces something we don't show, or we have got something wrong, the organiser's own site is always the authority. The site is rebuilt every day; announced dates are added when organisers publish them, with the date we checked.