Mardi Gras 2017 falls on Tuesday, February 28th. It is the one party of the year many do not want to miss. New Orleans is a city like no other on any day of the year. There is something special about Fat Tuesday in New Orleans as well, though that is utterly unique and fascinating to experience.
Mardi Gras occurs in February each year, with celebrations lasting weeks beforehand.
Mardi Gras Facts
Most people flying by private jet only come into New Orleans for the main event on Fat Tuesday. The truth is that Carnival actually begins on January 6th each year with galls, grand parties, and preparations for the main event. Parades kick into full swing beginning two weeks before Fat Tuesday, which is the last hurrah of Mardi Gras – and all the revelry ends promptly at midnight.
While you don’t have to be in town the full two weeks to enjoy an authentic Mardi Gras experience, arriving in town the Friday before Mardi Gras gives you an opportunity to explore the city, take in the parades, and return home without feeling like you’ve missed out on something.
There will be parades in New Orleans and surrounding suburbs during the days prior to Fat Tuesday providing you with opportunities to experience several different types of festivities. Most of the parades are family-friendly events – especially the ones in outlying areas like Kenner and Metairie.
A gigantic Mardi Gras parade float.
Lagniappe – A Little Bit Extra
There is no doubt that during the days and weeks leading into Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras is the main event throughout New Orleans and various suburbs. But if that’s all you experience during your trip, you’ll miss out on the lagniappe, or that little extra gift, that can make your trip even more rewarding, like these great attractions:
- Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World
- The Voodoo Museum
- National World War II Museum
- Riverboat Cruises (if you have children along, you might want to consider a riverboat tour that includes the Audubon Zoo and Audubon Aquarium of the Americas admission)
- Street Artists in Andrew Jackson Square
- Cemetery Tours (New Orleans cemeteries are unique and the tours provide interesting insight into the local culture)
- Ghost Tours
- Plantation Tours
- Swamp Tours
Flying into New Orleans on a private luxury jet lets you choose your timeline so that you can work as many of these little extras into your schedule as possible.
Music also plays an essential role practically everywhere you go in New Orleans. Whether you are witnessing a funeral procession or a night on Bourbon Street (not so family-friendly during the Carnival season), you will hear music ringing out from bars, street corners, and all points in between.
Bourbon Street is where a lot of the action of Mardi Gras takes place.
The French Quarter
There are no parades in the French Quarter proper during the final Saturday of Carnival leading into Fat Tuesday. Most of the parades will take place in the Uptown area. That doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of fun to be had in the French Quarter. Adult-focused entertainment is more prevalent after dark and generally centered around Bourbon Street.
During the daytime hours, Andrew Jackson Square, the countless restaurants, and world class shops of the French Quarter present a fun and festive atmosphere that is almost irresistible. Decatur Street is an excellent staging ground for your French Quarter Explorations. In the French Quarter, you will also find a nice selection of luxury hotels that keep you close to the action without necessarily putting you in the thick of things.
We can easily arrange luxury transportation from the airport to your hotel during the private jet scheduling process.
Iconic street in New Orleans.
New Orleans Airports
Private flights into New Orleans will generally either land at the New Orleans Lakefront Airport, which is nearby but doesn’t accommodate commercial airlines, or the Louis Armstrong International Airport. which is located in Kenner and a longer commute from the French Quarter area where so many hotels, restaurants, and attractions are located.
Contact Presidential Aviation today and let us help you arrange an incredible Mardi Gras experience showing you that there are charter jet benefits that go far beyond the service you receive in the air.
Mardi Gras Resources
2017 Mardi Gras Parade Schedule
