Everywhere else it’s just another Tuesday, but in Louisiana it’s a time of celebration! Each year on the day before Ash Wednesday we let the good times roll one more time before the start of Lent. There are parades, king cake, and lots of purple, green, and gold!

Mardi Gras is all about family, traditions, and of course fun. I choose to believe that we can all let the good times roll in our own way, and for my family that’s always been a trip to the most Magical Place on Earth.

When I was around 7 years old my family started making the 10 hour trek to Orlando for the week, and 17 years later there’s no sign of stopping this tradition anytime soon! These days, we are not alone in this idea for a Mardi Gras celebration. As the tourists head into New Orleans for the week, many Louisianians are off to see the Mouse!

Mardi Gras 2001

So what’s all the hype about with a Disney Mardi Gras? Here are two reasons Louisianians love to visit Walt Disney World for Fat Tuesday!

Carnival Season

Louisiana starts the Mardi Gras celebration weeks before Fat Tuesday arrives. This means that us locals have the chance to experience most of our favorite things about the holiday without being there that day! Once the Mardi Gras season begins, parades are every weekend leading up to the big day so we don’t have to miss any of the fun. We can get our little taste of Mardi Gras before we head off to Orlando!

Another great perk of the Carnival Season is that most of Louisiana shuts down for Mardi Gras allowing families to vacation together! While most people have to wait until summer months to travel, we can take advantage of this unique celebration to vacation while the rest of the country is business as usual.

Still don’t think this is a big perk? Visit Walt Disney World for summer and you’ll see why a February/March trip sounds so much more desirable!

The Mardi Gras Effect

There’s something pretty cool that happens when you’re from Louisiana and you visit Disney for Mardi Gras. After years of this magic going nameless, I’ve decided to call this experience the “Mardi Gras Effect.”

Imagine you’re sitting on Soarin’ and waiting for the ride to start. You love to make friends in line and on attractions so you spark up a conversation with the person next to you and realize that you’re both from “New Orleans.” As you dig a little deeper into where you each live, you realize y’all live only 20 minutes apart and feel instantly connected.

Now imagine that happening on every attraction you ride. That’s the Mardi Gras Effect!

It’s that warm feeling we feel as we shout “Who Dat” or “Geaux Tigers” to our fellow sports fans flaunting their team’s gear in the parks! Not just to one guest your whole time on Disney property, but multiple times daily. 

It’s meeting another family for the first time in an attraction line and meeting up again on purpose in the parks year after year for Mardi Gras! 

And come Mardi Gras day, you better believe that we’re dressed in our purple, green, and gold in the parks! Seeing so many from your home state at one time makes Louisiana seem just a little closer than 10 hours away.

Walking up and seeing this purple and gold landscaping at Magic Kingdom just feels like a welcome mat for the those of us celebrating the Carnival Season! Every Louisianian celebrates Mardi Gras in their own way. Whether it’s through parades, food, or family vacations! There’s truly no right or wrong way to celebrate, just as long as you’re having fun! Bonus points if your husband ships you a king cake from Louisiana for Mardi Gras day like mine!

So if you plan a trip to Walt Disney World during the week of Ash Wednesday you can expect to see lots of Louisiana smiles, Southern hospitality, and a sea of purple, green, and gold!  

Laissez les bons temps rouler!