Mardi Gras Parade Routes Explained

Where each area's parades actually roll, in plain English. Official 2027 route maps are not published yet; descriptions below come from 2026 routes and 2027 listings.

Jump to: Uptown / St. Charles · Mid-City (Endymion) · French Quarter & Marigny · Metairie & Kenner · Westbank · Northshore · Other areas

Uptown – the St. Charles Avenue route

Most New Orleans float parades use the Uptown route. Floats line up on Napoleon Avenue (stretching back toward Tchoupitoulas St.) and on Magazine St. between Napoleon and Jefferson avenues [1] [2], then roll onto St. Charles Avenue and head downtown toward the Central Business District. 2027 listings show some parades starting on Napoleon and others on Jefferson Avenue [3].

Exceptions: Thoth starts at State St. & Tchoupitoulas before joining the route; Zulu on Mardi Gras Day takes its own route from Jackson Ave. (Central City) to St. Charles and on to Orleans Ave. in Tremé [3].
The City Council's yearly motion assigns each parade a lettered route variant (in 2026, Uptown routes A–G) and sets official start times [4].
Vehicle traffic near the line-up area is restricted starting two hours before parades [1]; for 2027 the Council lengthened parking bans near formation areas to four hours before [5].

Mid-City – Endymion

Endymion (listed for Saturday, Feb. 6, 2027) rolls from Mid-City to Canal Street, past Gallier Hall and into the Superdome [3]. On the morning of Feb. 7, the Krewe of Mid-City parades on the Uptown route, not in Mid-City [3]. NOLA Ready has listed a police "safe crossing" for Endymion at Galvez St. & Canal St. [1]

French Quarter & Marigny – walking parades

Big float parades don't roll through the French Quarter's narrow streets, but many walking krewes do: Joan of Arc (Jan. 6), Krewe Bohème, Krewe du Vieux, Chewbacchus (Marigny–French Quarter), Cork on Royal St., Barkus, and on Feb. 6 the Krewe of Lafcadio starting at 713 St. Louis St. [3]. In 2026, Bourbon St. from Canal to Dumaine was closed to vehicles during peak periods [2].

Metairie & Kenner (Jefferson Parish)

Metairie parades share one East Bank route and Kenner has its own route for the Krewe of Isis, according to Jefferson Parish's tourism office [6]. The Metairie route runs mainly along Veterans Memorial Boulevard. Jefferson Parish says its official parade schedule is published each December, and you can get alerts by texting JPMARDIGRAS to 888-777 [6]. All Metairie/Kenner dates on our schedule are single-source estimates [7].

Westbank

In Orleans Parish, NOMTOC (listed for Saturday, Feb. 6, 10:45 a.m.) rolls in Algiers; NOLA.com describes it as the only Westbank parade within New Orleans [3]. Jefferson Parish's West Bank parades (such as Music and Nandi, listed as estimates) share one Westbank route [6] [7].

Northshore (St. Tammany & nearby)

Covington, Mandeville, Slidell, Madisonville, Abita Springs, Pearl River, Bush and Folsom hold their own parades, with routes set locally [7]. Every Northshore 2027 listing is still an estimate — check the town or parish before you go.

Other areas

New Orleans East has the Krewe of Nefertiti on Lake Forest and Read boulevards (listed Jan. 24) [3]. Chalmette (St. Bernard Parish) has the Knights of Nemesis (estimate) [7].

Find day-by-day details on the 2027 parade schedule, then pick a spot with where to watch.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-23. Rules and schedules change — always confirm with the official source before you go. Spot an error? Tell us.