Info on Mardi Gras 2015

[rawrockills]

Originally Posted by neguy99

A related Mardi Gras question:

I'm going to be in NOLA on a business trip Mardi Gras week -- a convention starting on Ash Wednesday thru Friday. I have an event I must attend at 9am Wed morning, meaning I need to fly in on Mardi Gras Tuesday and get to my hotel.

How big a problem will it be to get a cab in from the airport and to a hotel downtown on Canal Street that day? I can probably time my arrival anywhere from early afternoon to evening. Any advice? Is this crazy to even think about?

If it will truly be a disaster, I could stay by the airport that night, then get a taxi early Wed morning and shift to downtown for the remaining nights. Seems pretty lame to spend Fat Tuesday in New Orleans at the airport Holiday Inn Express or whatever, but ultimately this really is a business trip, not a Mardi Gras vacation.

Do you already have the hotel booked? I have stayed in the CBD on business during Mardi Gras and did not have any major issues getting around. I would suggest trying UBER first as the driver would probably be more willing to work with you.

The big Fat Tuesday parades are in the morning with truck parades later in the day. I would try to arrive in the evening to avoid the most road closures and such.

[neguy99]

Thanks for the help. I do already have it booked -- though can cancel for another month -- so it's not a problem of finding a place, just making sure that what I have is doable.

In general I'm fine walking, though navigating a crowd of drunk people with luggage might not be fun. Might be an argument for making do with my carry-on backpack vs the rollaboard.

Good info on the time of day; I would have guessed evening would be worse, so that's helpful.

[rawrockills]

Originally Posted by neguy99

Thanks for the help. I do already have it booked -- though can cancel for another month -- so it's not a problem of finding a place, just making sure that what I have is doable.

In general I'm fine walking, though navigating a crowd of drunk people with luggage might not be fun. Might be an argument for making do with my carry-on backpack vs the rollaboard.

Good info on the time of day; I would have guessed evening would be worse, so that's helpful.

You won't be the only one traveling that day and will probably see a lot of luggage being toted around. Where is your hotel located? Unless it's in the heart of the FQ I do not think you will too much trouble getting there.

[neguy99]

Originally Posted by rawrockills

Where is your hotel located? Unless it's in the heart of the FQ I do not think you will too much trouble getting there.

Intersection of Canal and Bourbon.

[rawrockills]

Originally Posted by neguy99

Intersection of Canal and Bourbon.

That area will be busy but early evening should be your best bet. You may be OK later in the evening as I do not think they keep Canal closed after the parades have ended...but your foot traffic near Bourbon will start picking up again.

[cBach]

Are you staying at the Astor Crowne Plaza? I think that's the hotel at that corner.

[Polarvortex1415]

New Orleans completely shuts down around 9 PM Mardi Gras night. Just a heads up.

[laina1980]

Thanks everyone for all the great info!

We may be shortening the trip to 3 days and think we may avoid Fat Tuesday only for reason of school. We were thinking maybe the weekend of Feb 6-8 or 7-9, is this still good? Plenty of action going on? Great advice on kids activities in neighboring areas, thanks!

We will be going on train. Since we will be staying less days we can up the hotel budget rate, thanks for recommendations and places to avoid.

[laina1980]

Originally Posted by prospectheightsresident

I hope your trip works out! I lived Uptown near Tulane University in New Orleans for a few years and, while the city has its problems, I look back fondly on my time there, including three Mardi Gras seasons.

1) To get started, I think its best to talk about affordability. After all, if the trip isn't affordable for you, then there will not be a trip. The week before February 17 will be cheaper than the week of. Just taking a look at Hotels.com, I'm finding hotels within a few miles of the city center (though, technically within New Orleans) from $81 per night and up; there are cheaper options outside of the City, but you'd definitely need a car to get to those places and driving during carnival season isn't really something you want to have to do as parades and preparation shut down many streets and otherwise lead to unbearable traffic. Hotels the week of, the cheapest/closest deal I'm finding is $140/night at the Econo Lodge in Kenner (11 miles from city center); there are cheaper options in Slidell, but that's about 30 miles from the city center. In any event, once you're outside of the city, or event if you're within the city limits but miles away from the action, you'd definitely want to have a car (I assume you're driving) . . . you'd just have to ensure that you get an extra early start to ensure that you can make your way through the traffic and find parking.

In terms of finding a hotel for under $150 per night where the action is, good luck with that. Seriously, unless you know someone who works at the hotel and can get an amazing deal that way, I am not seeing anything for under $300 per night closest to where the "action" most link with Mardi Gras (i.e. around the French Quarter). I'd recommend that you check out airbnb for options, but, do know that you'll still have a pay a premium (likely over $150 per night but under the hotel rate in the area) to stay closest to where the action is (look into this and you'll see what I mean).

Sidenote: if you've come across the Midtown Hotel in New Orleans on Tulane Avenue, which isn't all that far from the action (only a 10 minute, sub-3 mile drive to the French Quarter), I'd make sure to take a look at the place and area via Google maps street view. While the place has decent rates, even during Mardi Gras time, it's not exactly located in the best area (you'll see what I mean), hence the prices.

2) The French Quarter, where most of the action is, is certainly not family friendly, at least not all of the time. You'd be fine engaging in some French Quarter activities during carnival season during the day, but, as they say, the freaks do come out at night and there will be many activities that are not appropriate for young children during the evening. As someone else mentioned in this thread, you'd probably have better options Uptown, where there are also many parades during carnival season, in addition to some other activities. But I think the kids would definitely like the parades, wherever they are, due to all of the neat floats and free goodies that you can get along the parade route.

Here's a link to a website listing all the parades in the area (note, the parades don't just take place in New Orleans): 2015 Mardi Gras Parade Schedule | Mardi Gras New Orleans

3) As far as weather goes, Mardi Gras time in New Orleans can either be great (mid to high 70's during the day and low to mid 60's during the evening) or cold and rainy. I'd check out the temperature closer to your trip to know better how to pack, but would certainly make sure that you have umbrellas (you don't want to pay tourist prices for an umbrella if caught in the rain) and light jackets regardless.

Thanks for all the info, really appreciate it.

[rawrockills]

Originally Posted by laina1980

Thanks everyone for all the great info!

We may be shortening the trip to 3 days and think we may avoid Fat Tuesday only for reason of school. We were thinking maybe the weekend of Feb 6-8 or 7-9, is this still good? Plenty of action going on? Great advice on kids activities in neighboring areas, thanks!

We will be going on train. Since we will be staying less days we can up the hotel budget rate, thanks for recommendations and places to avoid.

I would recommend 6-8. There's no parades on the 9th so might as well squeeze a few more in on the 6th. What time would you arrive?

2015 Mardi Gras Parade Schedule