Mardi Gras Parades

Mobile Bay is not only the home of the first-known Mardi Gras celebration in North America in 1703, but also home to the modern America’s Family Mardi Gras which delights all ages from across the nation. This magnificent celebration lasts for nearly three weeks and culminates on Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent. For weeks, the streets of downtown Mobile Bay are filled with the sights and sounds of live marching bands, brilliant-colored floats and excited crowds of parade goers.

The floats are glowing spectacles manned by masked riders from secret Mardi Gras societies festooned in satin and sequins. They are armed with crowd-pleasing “throws” such as beads, moon pies, doubloons and candy. Mardi Gras must be experienced to be fully understood and Mobile Bay is the perfect place to do so.

For more information, parade schedules and maps, please click on the link below or call 1-800-5-MOBILE. Parades on Dauphin Island begin in January and parades in downtown Mobile begin February.