Mardi Gras Parades
begin February 19th- March 4th
Mardi Gras, or "Fat Tuesday", is the last day of the Carnival season as it always falls the day before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Most visitors will plan to arrive no later than Saturday, March 1, 2014 in order to enjoy an extended weekend of festivities.
Mardi Gras in New Orleans is something everyone should experience in their lifetime.
Join the Staybridge Suites in celebrating with special deals and promotions. We are located close to the parades and can provide easy transportation information for any destination you choose.
Hope to see you at Mardi Gras!
Hope to see you at Mardi Gras!
Staybridge Suites New Orleans
Room type (click to view gallery)
Your home while on the road...
Staybridge Suites hotels offer the comforts and warmth of home with the conveniences of the office, while offering great rates on your extended stay.
From spacious suites with fully equipped kitchens to complimentary conveniences like
the 24-hour Fitness Room, Laundry Room, and Business Center.
Our team invites you to stay with us soon at any one of our nearly 200 locations,
where you can find a home while traveling on the road. Whether extended stay or overnight, you'll be in the ideal setting for business or leisure activities
on Canal Street, Bourbon Street, or the New Orleans Riverfront.
Located in the business district of downtown,
let Staybridge Suites® New Orleans French Quarter / Downtown
be your choice for a hotel property in the most exciting part of the city.
be your choice for a hotel property in the most exciting part of the city.
Found just a few blocks from Bourbon Street,
the hotel's location provides plenty of entertainment
and is an ideal setting for business travelers.
and is an ideal setting for business travelers.
Guest Rooms:
Each of our Newly Renovated Guest Rooms are outfitted with:
Premium Cable with In-Room Movies and a DVD player
Work Desk with Lamp
Direct Dial Phones with Free Local Calls
Incoming and Outgoing Fax
High-speed Internet Access plus Wireless Internet
Bathtub, Hairdryer and Hamper in your Private Bathroom
A kitchens which includes:
Coffee Maker
Dishwasher
Microwave and Toaster
Plates, Glassware, Pots, and Pans, and Silverware
Full Refrigerator
Stove
Air Conditioning
Individually Controlled Air Conditioning
Iron/Ironing Board
Separate Hanging Closet
Amenities:
Business Center with Internet, Fax, Printer, and Copying
On-site Health and Fitness Center featuring Cardiovascular Equipment
including Elliptical and Nautilus Machines
High-speed Internet Access plus Wireless Internet
Barbeque Grills
Outdoor Pool
On-site Guest Self-Laundry Facilities (washer/dryer)
Daily Housekeeping
Same Day Dry Cleaning
Safety Deposit Box available at Front Desk
In the evening, enjoy a complimentary light dinner,
beer, wine and soda, at our Social Receptions from 5:30pm to 7:30pm
Tuesday through Thursday.
Thank you and we look forward to seeing you soon!!
Call to book your reservations today!
1-800-972-2791
** 24-Hour Reservation Line
or online
Staybridge Suites New Orleans
501 Tchoupitoulas Street
French Quarter
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
French Quarter
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
A Providence Hospitality Partners Property
Mardi Gras ~ What To Expect?
Mardi Gras is music, parades, picnics, floats, excitement...and one big holiday in New Orleans! Everyone is wearing purple, green, and gold, and adorned with long beads caught from the beautiful floats. They sit on the ground throwing balls, playing music, having a picnic, and watching the crowds walk by between parades.
During Mardi Gras, all of the businesses and roads are practically shut down--people walk everywhere and meeting new friends. People are dressed in crazy costumes, kids are everywhere, and they love it! How did it all begin, and have the traditions changed?
During Mardi Gras, all of the businesses and roads are practically shut down--people walk everywhere and meeting new friends. People are dressed in crazy costumes, kids are everywhere, and they love it! How did it all begin, and have the traditions changed?
History
The origins of Mardi Gras can be traced to medieval Europe, passing through Rome and Venice in the 17th and 18th centuries to the French House of the Bourbons. From here, the traditional revelry of "Boeuf Gras," or fatted calf, followed France to her colonies.
On March 2, 1699, French-Canadian explorer Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville arrived at a plot of ground 60 miles directly south of New Orleans, naming it "Pointe du Mardi Gras" when his men realized it was the eve of that festive holiday. Bienville also established "Fort Louis de la Louisiane" (which is now Mobile) in 1702. In 1703, the tiny settlement of Fort Louis de la Mobile celebrated America's very first Mardi Gras.
In 1704, Mobile established a secret society (Masque de la Mobile), similar to those that form our current Mardi Gras krewes. It lasted until 1709. In 1710, the "Boeuf Gras Society" was formed and paraded from 1711 through 1861. The procession was held with a huge bull's head pushed alone on wheels by 16 men--later, Rex would parade with an actual bull, draped in white and signaling the coming Lenten meat fast. This occurred on Fat Tuesday.
New Orleans was established in 1718 by Bienville. By the 1730s, Mardi Gras was celebrated openly in New Orleans, but not with the parades we know today. In the early 1740s, Louisiana's governor, the Marquis de Vaudreuil, established elegant society balls--the model for the New Orleans Mardi Gras balls of today.
The earliest reference to Mardi Gras "Carnival" appears in a 1781 report to the Spanish colonial governing body. That year, the Perseverance Benevolent & Mutual Aid Association was the first of hundreds of clubs and carnival organizations formed in New Orleans.
On March 2, 1699, French-Canadian explorer Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville arrived at a plot of ground 60 miles directly south of New Orleans, naming it "Pointe du Mardi Gras" when his men realized it was the eve of that festive holiday. Bienville also established "Fort Louis de la Louisiane" (which is now Mobile) in 1702. In 1703, the tiny settlement of Fort Louis de la Mobile celebrated America's very first Mardi Gras.
In 1704, Mobile established a secret society (Masque de la Mobile), similar to those that form our current Mardi Gras krewes. It lasted until 1709. In 1710, the "Boeuf Gras Society" was formed and paraded from 1711 through 1861. The procession was held with a huge bull's head pushed alone on wheels by 16 men--later, Rex would parade with an actual bull, draped in white and signaling the coming Lenten meat fast. This occurred on Fat Tuesday.
New Orleans was established in 1718 by Bienville. By the 1730s, Mardi Gras was celebrated openly in New Orleans, but not with the parades we know today. In the early 1740s, Louisiana's governor, the Marquis de Vaudreuil, established elegant society balls--the model for the New Orleans Mardi Gras balls of today.
The earliest reference to Mardi Gras "Carnival" appears in a 1781 report to the Spanish colonial governing body. That year, the Perseverance Benevolent & Mutual Aid Association was the first of hundreds of clubs and carnival organizations formed in New Orleans.
By the late 1830s, New Orleans held street processions of maskers with carriages and horseback riders to celebrate Mardi Gras. Dazzling gaslight torches, or "flambeaux," lit the way for the krewe's members, and lent each event an exciting air of romance and festivity. In 1856, six young Mobile natives formed the Mistick Krewe of Comus, invoking John Milton's hero Comus to represent their organization. Comus brought magic and mystery to New Orleans, with dazzling floats (known as tableaux cars) and masked balls. Krewe members remained anonymous, and to this day, Comus still rides!
In 1870, Mardi Gras' second "Krewe," the Twelfth Night Revelers, was formed, with the first account of Mardi Gras "throws".
Newspapers began to announce Mardi Gras events in advance, and even printed "Carnival Edition" lithographs of parades' fantastic float designs (after they rolled, of course--themes and floats were always carefully guarded before the procession).
At first, these reproductions were small and detail could not be clearly seen; but beginning in 1886 with Proteus' parade "Visions of Other Worlds," these chromolithographs could be produced in full, saturated color, doing justice to the float and costume designs of Carlotta Bonnecase, Charles Briton and B.A. Wikstrom. Each of these designers' work was brought to life by talented Parisian paper-mache' artist Georges Soulie', who for forty years was responsible for creating all of Carnival's floats and processional outfits.
1872 was the year that a group of businessmen invented a King of Carnival--Rex--to preside over the first daytime parade. Honoring visiting Russian Grand Duke Alexis Romanoff, they introduced his family colors of purple, green and gold as Carnival's official colors. Purple stands for justice; gold for power; and green for faith. This was also the Mardi Gras season that Carnival's improbable anthem, "If Ever I Cease to Love," was cemented, due in part to the Duke's fondness for the tune.
In 1873, floats began to be constructed entirely in New Orleans instead of France, culminating with Comus' magnificent "The Missing Links to Darwin's Origin of Species," in which exotic paper-mache' animal costumes served as the basis for Comus to mock both Darwin's theory and local officials, including Governor Henry Warmoth. In 1875, Governor Warmoth signed the "Mardi Gras Act," making Fat Tuesday a legal holiday in Louisiana, which it still is.
Like Comus and the Twelfth Night Revelers, most Mardi Gras krewes today developed from private social clubs with restrictive membership policies. Since all of these parade organizations are completely funded by their members,
New Orleanians call it the "Greatest Free Show on Earth"!
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