The Bacchus Mardi Gras Parade and Ball in New Orleans

The People's Party from the Krewe of Bacchus

Start the Mardi Gras celebration early by attending the historical Bacchus Mardi Gras Parade and Ball. Held the weekend before Mardi Gras, this huge parade is filled with elaborate floats, celebrities and lots of partying.  Put on your party hats and start the Mardi Gras celebration early!

The Bacchus Mardi Gras Parade and Ball is held the weekend before Mardi Gras.

The parade route has not changed since the first Bacchus Mardi Gras Parade. It starts at 5 p.m. on the corner of Napoleon Avenue and Tchoupitoulas.  It continues down St. Charles Avenue and turns down Canal Street where it ends near the New Orleans riverfront at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

The Bacchus Mardi Gras Parade is one of the first Mardi Gras parades to have celebrity grand marshals.  In the past celebrities like Sean Astin, Hulk Hogan, Val Kimer, Andy Garcia and Drew Brees have all served as Kings of the Bacchus Parade.

Besides the traditional kings, you will also see in the parade more than a dozen floats and marching bands, as well as individual groups that march along the parade route.

2012 Bacchus Ball Details

Part of the festive atmosphere of Mardi Gras comes from the celebratory dinner and ball hosted at the end of the parade. Most of these balls are exclusive affairs that are not open to the public, but the Bacchus Mardi Gras Ball is a general admission event open to anyone who purchases a ticket.

A limited number of tickets are available for purchase from the Bacchus organization and include drinks, dinner and a custom printed ball program. There is plenty of entertainment and live music as well.

Bacchus Lodging

After a night of drinking and celebrating at the Bacchus Mardi Gras Parade, you'll probably be ready for a relaxing place to rest your head. Many New Orleans vacation rentals will put you close to the heart of the action with enough room to relax at the end of the night.

History of the Bacchus Mardi Gras Parade and Ball

Many Mardi Gras celebrations and parades used to only be open to the local upper society of New Orleans.  Many tourists would visit the French Quarter in hopes of being able to take part in the highly festive celebrations.  However, many of these tourists were turned away or denied entry in some of the biggest celebrations in New Orleans.

In hopes of renewing the celebratory spirit for tourists, several New Orleans business owners got together and formed an organization devoted to bringing back the Carnival atmosphere to the French Quarter.  Known as the Krewe of Bacchus, they decided to host a huge parade bigger and better than any other in New Orleans.