When is Mardi Gras in New Orleans this year? How long does it last?

Mardi Gras celebrations are held every year around the world, with the most famous one being in New Orleans. The festivities begin on January 6th, but the majority of events take place during the two weeks leading up to “Shrove Tuesday,” which marks the end of the celebrations.

Mardi Gras, also known as “Fat Tuesday”, will be celebrated on February 13th this year. The date of this festival varies each year, depending on the date of Easter, and it marks the beginning of the Christian observance of Lent. Lent is a 40-day period during which Christians give up a chosen luxury and fast, starting at midnight on Ash Wednesday, the day after Shrove Tuesday. To avoid temptation before the solemn remembrance of Jesus Christ’s 40-day fast and temptation by Satan in the desert, people empty their cupboards of fatty foods and indulge in feasting and revelry.

Mardi Gras 2023 in New Orleans

The Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans started on 6 January, also known as the Epiphany, with a range of parades. These parades became a daily feature in The Big Easy throughout February, increasing in frequency during the two weeks leading up to Shrove Tuesday. The final Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans will take place on the weekend after Fat Tuesday.

How is the date for Mardi Gras determined

Mardi Gras is determined by the date of Easter each year, which is determined by the first full moon following the spring equinox. Easter can fall in either March or April, depending on the lunar cycle. As Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday, and Ash Wednesday falls 46 days before Easter, meaning that Mardi Gras can fall in either February or March.

This year Easter, which commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, falls on Sunday, 31 March.