Mardi Gras and Carnival celebrations fill the streets — see the most spectacular costumes of 2024

Parades and parties in New Orleans for Mardi Gras

The carnival season ended on Tuesday with Mardi Gras parades, street parties, and what amounted to a huge open-air costume festival in the bars and restaurants of New Orleans’ French Quarter.

Revelers in capes, wigs, spandex and feathers danced in front of St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square as Latin music played.

Outside the neighborhood’s narrow streets, two tradition-rich parades unfolded on a route that took them through the city’s Uptown neighborhood and up to Canal Street in the business district. First came the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Clubwith protesters and riders dressed in African-inspired attire handing out the century-old club’s signature gift: hand-decorated coconuts.

Later, Rex, King of the Carnival, came down St. Charles and stopped for a ceremonial toast at a historic downtown building with Mayor LaToya Cantrell.

What is carnival?

Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is a secular holiday, but it is tied to Christian and Roman Catholic traditions. It always falls on the day before Ash Wednesday and is considered the last day of feasting and revelry before the solemnity of Lent.

“I was raised Catholic, so tomorrow is for repentance, but today is for partying,” said Bethany Kraft, a regular visitor from Mobile, Alabama, as she waited for the parades with her husband Alex.

New Orleans has the largest and most well-known Carnival celebration in the country, filled with traditions loved by locals. It’s also a vital boost to the city’s tourism-driven economy, something always evident in the French Quarter.

“There are no strangers here,” said visitor Renitta Haynes of Chattanooga, Tennessee, as she watched costumed revelers on Bourbon Street over the weekend. “Everyone is very friendly and approachable. I love that.”

The festivities began at the beginning of the month, with a series of parades and festivities culminating in Mardi Gras Day.

New Orleans isn’t the only one betting big on Mardi Gras. Mobile, Alabama, where six parades were scheduled Tuesday, boasts the oldest Mardi Gras celebration in the country.

Other lavish Carnival celebrations in BrazilThe Caribbean and Europe are world famous.

Carnival in Brazil

Carnival has a long and colorful history in Brazil. A typical Carnival day begins around 7am, when the first blocos (as the free street parties are known) begin their noisy, colorful musical journey through the city streets.

Drummers, stilt walkers, trumpet players and other performers, all dressed and lacquered in glitter, attract thousands of followers.

The blocos are thematic and inspire the costumes and songs of their followers. In Rio alone, the city authorized 500 street parties this year.

From the various street parties, which usually end at night, some revelers move on to the Sambódromo, where samba schools parade and compete to win the annual title.

This year, Rio de Janeiro carnival dancers paid tribute to Brazil’s largest indigenous group and pressured President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to make good on his promises to eradicate illegal mining.

The carnival has long been a protest platform for samba schools. The drummers had “Miners Out” written on the skin of their drums as participants marched through the Sambódromo on Sunday night, delivering their message to more than 70,000 revelers and millions watching live on television.

Each city has its unique Carnival customs. Revelers dressed in traditional costumes filled the streets of Sao Paulo for what is known as the Galo da Madrugada or Dawn Rooster parade.