Mardi Gras parades and krewes
A krewe is the club behind a parade. Each one keeps a traditional slot, defined by its day relative to Fat Tuesday, so the parade calendar can be projected years ahead, as long as you treat it as the usual pattern and not a schedule.
The City Council approves the line-up every season and the city publishes routes and rules on ready.nola.gov/mardi-gras. Weather can move parades within hours: in 2025 high winds moved Zulu and Rex earlier on shortened routes.
Usual parade days, Carnival 2027 Usual pattern, not announced
| Date in 2027 | Krewe and usual slot |
|---|---|
| Sat 23 Jan | Krewe du Vieux Third Saturday before Mardi Gras, evening |
| Fri 29 Jan | Krewe of Cleopatra Second Friday before Mardi Gras, evening |
| Sat 30 Jan | Krewe of Pontchartrain Second Saturday before Mardi Gras, late morning |
| Wed 3 Feb | Krewe of Alla Wednesday before Mardi Gras, evening |
| Thu 4 Feb | Krewe of Muses Thursday before Mardi Gras, evening |
| Thu 4 Feb | Knights of Babylon Thursday before Mardi Gras, evening |
| Thu 4 Feb | Knights of Chaos Thursday before Mardi Gras, evening |
| Fri 5 Feb | Mystic Krewe of Hermes Friday before Mardi Gras, evening (first of Hermes, d'Etat, Morpheus) |
| Fri 5 Feb | Le Krewe d'Etat Friday before Mardi Gras, evening (after Hermes) |
| Fri 5 Feb | Krewe of Morpheus Friday before Mardi Gras, evening (after d'Etat) |
| Sat 6 Feb | Krewe of Endymion Saturday before Mardi Gras, late afternoon into night |
| Sat 6 Feb | Krewe of Iris Saturday before Mardi Gras, late morning |
| Sat 6 Feb | Krewe of Tucks Saturday before Mardi Gras, midday (after Iris) |
| Sun 7 Feb | Krewe of Bacchus Sunday before Mardi Gras, evening |
| Sun 7 Feb | Krewe of Thoth Sunday before Mardi Gras, midday |
| Sun 7 Feb | Krewe of Okeanos Sunday before Mardi Gras, late morning |
| Sun 7 Feb | Krewe of Mid-City Sunday before Mardi Gras, after Okeanos |
| Mon 8 Feb | Krewe of Orpheus Lundi Gras (Monday) evening, after Proteus |
| Mon 8 Feb | Krewe of Proteus Lundi Gras (Monday) evening, before Orpheus |
| Tue 9 Feb | Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club Mardi Gras morning |
| Tue 9 Feb | Rex, King of Carnival Mardi Gras morning, after Zulu |
Chewbacchus has no fixed slot (it announced 16 January 2027). Nyx has not been on the city schedule since 2025, and Comus has not paraded since 1991; both have history pages below.
The krewes
ZuluMardi Gras morning
RexMardi Gras morning, after Zulu
EndymionSaturday before Mardi Gras, late afternoon into night
BacchusSunday before Mardi Gras, evening
MusesThursday before Mardi Gras, evening
OrpheusLundi Gras (Monday) evening, after Proteus
ProteusLundi Gras (Monday) evening, before Orpheus
IrisSaturday before Mardi Gras, late morning
TucksSaturday before Mardi Gras, midday (after Iris)
ThothSunday before Mardi Gras, midday
HermesFriday before Mardi Gras, evening (first of Hermes, d'Etat, Morpheus)
d'EtatFriday before Mardi Gras, evening (after Hermes)
Krewe du VieuxThird Saturday before Mardi Gras, evening
ChewbacchusA Saturday evening three to five weeks before Mardi Gras (no fixed slot)
NyxWednesday before Mardi Gras, evening (until 2024)
ComusMardi Gras night (until 1991)
The routes
Uptown (St. Charles)
Most parades follow the classic route: from Napoleon Avenue or Jefferson Avenue down St. Charles Avenue under the live oaks, around Lee Circle and into the Central Business District on Canal Street. Families with ladders line the upper route; the crowds get denser towards downtown.
Mid-City
Endymion has the city's only major route outside Uptown: from the City Park area down Orleans Avenue and Canal Street, finishing inside the Superdome.
Marigny and the French Quarter
Large floats cannot fit the Quarter's narrow streets, so parades there are walking krewes and small hand-drawn floats: Krewe du Vieux, Chewbacchus, Joan of Arc on Twelfth Night.
