Updated 2/13/20

From suspended parade routes to more safety rules, Mardi Gras 2020 could see a lot of changes.

Here’s what’s new for this year’s Carnival season.

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In December, the New Orleans City Council’s Community Development Committee approved new Mardi Gras regulations that could be enacted before this year’s festivities. These latest rules would require changes from both krewes and paradegoers, but are intended to improve safety.

One new rule would keep one of the more dangerous Mardi Gras “missiles” out of the parade routes: fully-wrapped bags of beads. Krewe members would be required to unwrap the plastic that covers the throws before hurling them into the crowds. Another rule would limit the number of dancing groups or marching bands at the start of a parade to no more than 12, and only one allowed between floats.

For parade-goers, campers, storage pods, and trucks with portable toilets would not be allowed within two blocks of a parade route. And the city would be allowed to remove all personal items left on public rights of way four hours before the start of a parade. 

Families looking forward the more family-friendly and less crowded Northshore parades, one less krewe will take route. Mandeville’s Original Krewe of Orpheus (not Harry Connick Jr.’s Krewe of Orpheus) announced that it has suspended this year’s parade to rebuild its membership.  

An iconic Jefferson Parish Carnival krewe retires after 40 years. The Krewe of Caesar, the parish’s largest parade, announced that its 40th anniversary parade in 2019 was its last. It was the first krewe to introduce neon lighted and tandem floats and fiber optics.

Finally, a superkrewe and family favorite will have a slightly different parade route this year. Thanks to a $450 million renovation to the Superdome scheduled after football season, the Krewe of Endymion, which usually rolls into the Dome for the Endymion Extravaganza, will have to end at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center where its ball will also be held.

While most of the parade route will remain the same, after passing Gallier Hall on St. Charles Avenue, Endymion will proceed to Julia Street, turn left, and then head to Convention Center Boulevard.

Sponsored by: Stuart Hall

Tim Meyer is the Managing Editor of Nola Family Magazine.

Looking to parade as a family? Click here to learn about these six marching krewes you’ve never heard of. Also, we’ve done the hard work for you – Mardi Gras Camps your kiddos will want to attend!