Gay Mardi Gras in New Orleans

Gay Mardi Gras is without a doubt the most outrageous gay and lesbian event in New Orleans, second only to the annual Southern Decadence Weekend Celebration in the number of gay and lesbian revelers. In 2020, the celebration is Thursday, February 20 through Tuesday, February 25, and takes place in the lower French Quarter. This is where the epicenter of the Gay New Orleans community is located at the corner of Bourbon and St. Ann Streets, anchored by the city's largest gay nightclub,  The Bourbon Pub / Parade.

Tradition dictates that the official Mardi Gras season begins on January 6th, or Twelfth Night. The duration  is determined by the Church calendar, and runs until the beginning of Lent, which is Ash Wednesday. The climax is "Fat Tuesday" (or Mardi Gras Day), the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.  And Ash Wednesday is always 46 days before Easter Sunday. Finally, Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the first full moon following the first day of Spring.  Confusing?  It won't be after your first drink on Bourbon Street! The entire season can last as long as two months or can be as short as one month, (as was the case in 2008).