Don’t feel bad for enjoying yourself in the French Quarter.
Experience Mardi Gras off-season. Technically, Mardi Gras season only spans a few weeks in January and February. But the spirit means so much here—a celebration of community, art, history, beginnings, joy, and so much more—that understanding Mardi Gras is fundamental to understanding New Orleans. Seek out resources like the Backstreet Cultural Museum (photographer Sylvester Francis’s living history collection) and keep an eye out for the year-round parading schedule. Club-hosted Second Lines parades with brass bands and plenty of dancing happen throughout the year, seemingly every holiday inspires some marching, and any given French Quarter Saturday may have a few parading weddings.
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