Mardi Gras Unmasked's mission is to showcase the true spirit of Mardi Gras as expressed through a remarkable spectrum of homegrown customs and traditions. We strive to stimulate and deepen the public's appreciation of New Orleans Mardi Gras as a multifaceted cultural attraction, in an online environment that not only is fun, engaging and free of commercial clutter, but also compatible with tablet computers and mobile devices.
Mardi Gras Calendar
Carnival 101
Colorful Characters
Eye Candy
Local Color and Customs
Mardi Gras Music
The real Mardi Gras is about creative costuming and krewes staging processions that are a feast for the senses — with floats that bemuse and entertain; rollicking bands full of joyful noise; inspired dance troupes and showers of baubles that stoke an exhilarating feeding frenzy. Can't you almost feel the boom of dat big bass drum? 
Seasoned advice on parade etiquette, reaping throw booty, balcony and grandstand access, how to catch a ride in a parade and much more, including answers to the most-asked Mardi Gras questions of all time — where to find a place to pee. 
Carnival 101
When is Mardi Gras?
Future Dates for Fat Tuesday
Occurring on any Tuesday from February 3 through March 9, Mardi Gras is tied to Easter, which falls on the first Sunday after the full moon following the Spring Equinox.
Although Church fathers established Easter as a movable holiday in 325, it wasn’t until 1582, under Pope Gregory XIII, that Mardi Gras became a holiday on the Christian calendar on the day before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent.
The underlying reasoning was to have all the foolishness and indulgence be finished—when it came time to start atoning and fasting. As the climax of Carnival and a traditional day of feasting—as symbolized by the ritual slaughter of a fatted bull or ox (boeuf gras)—the celebration came to be known as Fat Tuesday, or as French would say, Mardi Gras.
Also sometimes referred to as Carnival Day, Mardi Gras is always scheduled 47 days preceding Easter (the 40 days of Lent plus seven Sundays).
Mardi Gras 2012 and Future Dates for Fat Tuesday
2012 February 21
2013 February 12
2014 March 4
2015 February 17
2016 February 9
2017 February 28,
2018 February 13
2019 March 5
2020 February 25
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