Get Ready For Mardi Gras at Universal Orlando!

Universal Orlando is an exciting option at any time of the year, but it is about to get ‘Louder, wilder, spicier’ with the return of its full annual Mardi Gras celebration.

After being restricted by Covid in 2021, Universal’s special New Orleans-style Fat Tuesday extravaganza is back to its boisterous best this year, and running until April 24th.

That means fabulous food, great music and the daily highlight of the Mardi Gras parade, complete with bead-throwing and party atmosphere.

What is Universal Mardi Gras?

OK, let’s back-track slightly and fill in the blanks for those who haven’t had the chance to experience this high-energy carnival before. Based on the original New Orleans festivities for the Shrove Tuesday period, it aims to recreate the parade-based entertainment of the big Louisiana city.

And, at Universal Studios, they aim to make it last for almost three full months, with daily special events, the signature parade, and a big-name concert most Saturday evenings during the period.

The tastes of Mardi Gras are also a key component of the festival throughout the park, with delicious Cajun classics such as Po’boys, jambalaya, crawfish, shrimp and etouffee, as well as sweet delights like King Cake and beignets, plus well-known dishes from around the world. It really is a food lover’s delight.

The Live Entertainment

You can’t have Mardi Gras fun without the sounds of the celebration, hence Universal adds a layer of live acts and other entertainment during the day to ensure that essential element of New Orleans authenticity.

To that end, look out for colourful dancers, stilt walkers and other street performers in areas like New York and Hollywood Boulevard.

And the party doesn’t end there, either. The lively fun and festival atmosphere build throughout the day until it’s time for the big Parade, and this is one element you definitely won’t want to miss.

The Mardi Gras Parade

Parades are one of the key aspects of the big city version, and Universal make sure they bring that level of excitement to their event, too.

Each evening (with the exception of April 1, 2 and 8), the larger-than-life spectacle that is the authentic Mardi Gras Parade hits the streets of the park in epic style, with a series of huge, themed floats that feature dozens of bead-throwers, madly hurling thousands of strings of beads for park guests to catch (and you can catch a LOT of beads during this event!).

This year’s Parade will showcase the debut of six unique ‘Planet Mardi Gras’ floats with cosmic-inspired elements like comets, rockets, Martians and more.

The floats are also designed and built in conjunction with Kern Studios in New Orleans, the official creative company of Mardi Gras, whose founder, Blaine Kern, died in 2020 at the age of 93 and is honoured as ‘Mr Mardi Gras’ with his own special window on the parade route.

The Concerts

As if all the festival entertainment isn’t enough, Universal brings the curtain down on events each weekend with a one-off concert on the Music Plaza Stage in the Production Central area (in front of the iconic Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit roller-coaster).

Headline acts from the world of rock ’n roll, country and western, rap and electronica all perform live in what has become the most popular part of the whole festival.

There are some seriously big names to enjoy (usually on a Saturday, but occasionally on Friday or Sunday instead), with this year’s line-up including the legendary Diana Ross, veteran rock band Styx, Grammy-award winner Khalid, country star Lee Brice and top DJ Marshmello.

For all the details, including the full concert line-up, see UniversalOrlando.com.

It is a glittering programme of fun, food, beads and music, with extra relish this year as Universal gets back to its full menu of events that had to be dramatically scaled back in 2021 as the virus peaked in Florida. No wonder they are billing this year’s event as Louder. Wilder. Spicier. It’s party time again!

Have you been to Universal’s Mardi Gras festival in the past? Tell us all about it on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.