Mardi Gras is here, friends! The celebrations in Orlando are in full swing this weekend. If you’re local to the Orlando area and aren’t sure where to celebrate Mardi Gras, you’re in luck! We’re listing the local Mardi Gras events you should attend this year. Check them out!
And the main event, Universal Orlando's Mardi Gras is underway as of Friday, February 1, 2025.
FEATURED EVENT: Mardi Gras at the Pointe
Saturday, March 1st, from 8 to 11 p.m.
This free event will transport you to the heart of New Orleans with a live band playing infectious Zydeco beats, a sea of colorful beads, and a festive photo booth to capture the magic. Unleash your creativity by decorating your own Mardi Gras umbrella and indulge in delicious food and drink specials. Don't miss out on this unforgettable night of revelry!
FEATURED EVENT: Carnevale at Simply Capri – Nights of Magic & Celebration!
Friday, February 28th to Tuesday, March 4th
Simply Capri, 114 Ruby Red Place, Winter Garden 34787
Step into the timeless tradition of Carnevale, where masks, music, and merriment create an unforgettable evening! For centuries, Carnevale has been a celebration of indulgence, with grand masquerades, street performances, and feasts filling Italy’s streets. At Simply Capri, we're bringing this spirit to life with an exclusive Carnevale menu, face painting, magicians & live music. Experience the magic, savor the flavors, and celebrate like the Italians do! Reserve your table today!
Mardi Gras Events in Orlando
Universal Orlando Mardi Gras
February 1 – March 30, 2025
Get ready for the biggest party at Universal Studios! The 2025 Universal Orlando Mardi Gras celebration features epic weekend concerts, full parade, and delicious food. This annual festival at Universal takes place February 1 through March 30, 2025 and is perfect for date night.
It's the beads and fun of Mardi Gras and beyond! Enjoy Universal Mardi Gras, an awesome party inspired by Carnaval celebrations from around the world. Catch the spectacular parade, beads by the handful, live concerts on select nights, and amazing international cuisine along with sizzling New Orleans favorites
Mardi Gras-themed Voodoo Room pop-up
Thursdays – Saturdays
808 E Washington, Orlando
The folks who brought you The Reindeer Room are back at it again! Step inside the Voodoo Room for festive Mardi Gras decor, plus themed drinks. On Fridays and Saturdays enjoy bar bites!
Mardi Gras Magic at Museum of Illusions
February 1 – March 5, 2025
Museum of Illusions
Guests can see the museum transformed with colorful Mardi Gras décor and explore their favorite exhibits reimagined with themed overlays for the perfect Instagram-worthy photo. And what’s Mardi Gras without some bling? To add to the fun, each guest will receive complimentary beads during their visit.
Included in admission
Mardi Gras Masquerade
Friday, February 28, 2025, 6:30-11pm
High-T Orlando
23 West Church Street, Orlando, FL 32801
Mardi Gras Masquerade at HighT Orlando! Featuring live jazz music, specialty cocktails, and New Orleans inspired tapas! Carnival attire encouraged and masks for masquerade required!
$6
Curry Ford West Mardi Crawl
Saturday, March 1, 5-11pm
Curry Ford West Main Street District
Enjoy the Curry Ford West Mardi Crawl, a festive Mardi Gras-themed pub crawl featuring 9 incredible stops throughout the district! Enjoy food and drink specials, music, and all the fun vibes of New Orleans—right here in your neighborhood!
$10 for access to all participating locations + exclusive specials + 3 FREE drinks
Mardi Gras at Permanent Vacation
March 4 – 8, 2025
Permanent Vacation
They're bringing the spirit of Mardi Gras to the tropics with a limited-edition menu full of NOLA-inspired island flavors from March 4th – March 8th! Grab your beads, bring your krewe, and sip your way down Bourbon Street – PV style. Walk-ins available, Reservations preferred.
First Friday Baldwin Park Masquerade Party
Friday, March 7, 2025, 5:30-9:30pm
4982 New Broad St Orlando, FL 32814
Mardi Gras comes to Baldwin Park! Get ready to have the time of your life and make memories! Wear your best mask, enjoy local dining, shop with vendors and enjoy the entertainment!
FREE
Tibby's Mardi Gras Celebration
February 1-March 4, 2025
Tibby’s New Orleans Kitchen takes you somewhere Over New Orleans, where the Yellow Brick Road meets the Crescent City. Enjoy a festive menu, cocktails, live entertainment, and special events all season long!
- Nola DJ Nite, Friday, February 28, 6–10 PM, DJs spinning New Orleans hits
- Winter Park: DJ Money Mula (until 11 PM)
- Altamonte Springs: DJ Mitch “Non-Stop” Tyler
- Dueling Pianos Brunch, Sunday, March 2, 11 AM–2 PM, Request favorite songs and sing along
- Specials: Cajun brunch and bottomless drink options
- Fat Tuesday Celebration, Tuesday, March 4, 5–10 PM, Live band, DJ, and $10 Hurricanes
- Winter Park: Jeff Howell Band & DJ Jeremy Moore
- Altamonte Springs: TruPhonic Band
Mardi Gras at SeaWorld Orlando
February 27-March 2, March 4, March 6-9, 2025
Every year, SeaWorld Orlando throws a jazzy Fat Tuesday celebration full of fun flavors and colorful beads. Let the good times roll with limited-time food, cocktails, entertainment, and live music – Mardi Gras style as part of their Seven Seas Food Festival.
After spending the morning riding coasters and hanging out with amazing marine life, geaux to Wild Artic Plaza for an epic dance afternoon dance party. Next, take your Mardi Gras celebration to new heights with a parade featuring stilt walkers and zydeco tunes. And because SeaWorld’s Mardi Gras party coincides with the fan-favorite Seven Seas Food Festival, tasty treats abound.
Annual Fat Tuesday Street Party
Tuesday, March 4, 2025, 5pm
Promenade at Sunset Walk
Prepare to celebrate Mardi Gras like never before. They’ve got everything you need for your Fat Tuesday experience. Put on your beads and masks, gather your friends, and come on down to the Promenade at Sunset Walk for a night of nonstop fun, and “Let the Good Times Roll!” / “Laissez les bons temps rouler!”
FREE
Mardi Gras at Judson's Live
Tuesday, March 4, 2025, 7 & 9pm
Judson's Live
Gerald Law II & The Clutch returns to Judson’s Live—this time, in Mardi-Gras style. The eclectic trio will embrace the spirit of New Orleans, joined by a joyous horn sound that will keep you dancing all night. Hailed as the “smiling drummer,” Gerald has built a stellar reputation as the go-to drummer for jazz and R&B artists in Central Florida.
Tickets from $19.50
Mardi Gras Music Festival
Friday, February 9, 2024, 6-9pm (2025 Details TBA)
Lake Concord Park
Everyone is invited to the 2024 Mardi Gras Music Festival and Casselberry Food Truck event at Lake Concord Park. This festive lively street party will feature lots of spicy Louisiana Cajun, zydeco and New Orleans R&B sounds to the stage. Between the music sets, Junkanoo dancers with lots of high energy will entertain the crowd with their drums, whistles, and colorful costumes.
FREE
New Orleans Themed Spots in Orlando
Cursed Coconut Club – Universal Orlando CityWalk
The Cursed Coconut Club invites you into a world where the eerie and enchanting sides of New Orleans culture intertwine. This Mardi Gras-inspired bar is drenched in dark magic, with flickering black lights, hauntingly intricate decor, and a séance room.
Venture upstairs to find the Zoltar fortune-telling machine, where a cryptic message might just seal your fate for the night. Every corner of the club is steeped in mystery, from eerie voodoo dolls to shadowy alcoves that feel alive with spirits of the past.
This year, each of the three bars inside Cursed Coconut Club features its own exclusive menu, offering four unique cocktails and one themed mocktail per bar. The beer selection remains consistent throughout.
Pat O' Brien's – Universal Orlando CityWalk
We love Universal Orlando CityWalk for date night. Between the most amazing karaoke bar, the super special Great Movie Escape, and all the great restaurants at Universal Orlando, it's always a party!
Best of all the Pat O'Brien's venue is almost an exact replica of the Pat O'Brien's in New Orleans itself!
NEW for 2025 – Pat O'Briens has a speakeasy. Check out how to celebrate Mardi Gras at CityWalk!
Disney's Port Orleans Resort, French Quarter & Riverside
Revel in the romance and pageantry of New Orleans’s historic French Quarter without ever leaving Orlando at Disney's Port Orleans Resort.
Discover cobblestone streets, gas lamps, wrought-iron balconies, and fragrant magnolia blossoms, along with colorful Mardi Gras characters and the sounds of jazz. Then stroll along the lushly landscaped Sassagoula River to Disney's Port Orleans Resort – Riverside, where the bayou beckons, as do Cajun and Creole specialties.
Dining New Orleans Style
Disney's Port Orleans Resort offers eight New Orleans-style dining options to help you celebrate Mardi Gras in style. No visit to Port Orleans is complete without a stop at Scat Cat's Club – Lounge! Tap your toes to some swingin’ jazz and enjoy a full-service bar featuring Southern-inspired specialty cocktails, craft beer, and appetizers.
Don't forget to stop at Scat Cat's Club – Café just outside the lounge to enjoy specialty and Mickey-shaped beignets all year long! Favorites include the Baton Rouge Beignets, jazzed up with your choice of Bailey’s, Kahlua, or RumChata.
Make your way over to River Roost at Riverside for some southern-style libations and light snacks. This full bar and lounge with its hanging chandeliers and wooden furniture is a romantic spot where you can make some memories with your partner over some delicious drinks and bites. If you’re lucky, you may even have an opportunity to see the piano player, Yehaa Bob, crank out some tunes while you’re spending time together.
One of the best features that make Disney's Port Orleans a romantic hotel for couples is the boat transportation to Disney Springs. We love the Happy Hour deals at Disney Springs as well as the romantic restaurants at Disney Springs, and taking a lovely boat ride to and from makes it even better.
This resort offers boat transportation to Disney Springs. The ride to the shopping hub may take 20-25 minutes depending on whether or not a stop is made to pick up or drop off guests at Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter resort along the way.
Horse Drawn Carriage Rides
The charm of the New Orleans French Quarter and the beauty of riverside manors are yours to enjoy on a horse drawn carriage ride through Disney’s Port Orleans Resort. This 25-minute ride will transport you in a way only Disney could provide.
Reservations are recommended. The cost is $65 for up to 4 people.
Nearby Mardi Gras events worth the drive:
Busch Gardens Mardi Gras
January 11 – March 2, 2025 (select dates)
Head on over to Busch Gardens Tampa for a Mardi Gras event like no other in the bay! Inspired by the vibrant colors and delectable flavors of New Orleans’ biggest celebration, Mardi Gras at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay will transport guests to a festive realm of bayou-inspired fanfare.
Enjoy Cajun inspired culinary delights, a lively parade with new festive characters, multicolored beads, an authentic brass band playing live, and spirited entertainment offerings for the entire family. Mardi Gras is included with daily park admission, Annual Pass, or Fun Cards.
Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras Parade
Tuesday, March 4, 2025, 7-8pm
Flagler Avenue – New Smyrna Beach
Enjoy Mardi Gras-themed music and food specials from host locations along Flagler Avenue before and after the parade! The parade will travel from South Atlantic Avenue beginning at Columbus and turn west on Flagler Avenue and end on Pine Street. Patrons can watch the parade along the route and cheer for beads! Thousands of beads will be thrown at Mardi Gras parade by participating businesses who showcase their Mardi Gras Themed floats!
Put on the calendar for next year…
10th Annual Sanford Mardi Gras Street Party
Saturday, February 15, 2025, 4-9pm
Historic Downtown Sanford
Grab your beads and come enjoy the 11th Annual Sanford Mardi Gras Street Party in the ‘Famous L' between Celery City Craft and West End Trading Co. in beautiful Historic Downtown Sanford! The parade starts on 6th Street and Sanford Avenue! Gathering starts at 330pm and then at 4pm, sashay your way down Sanford Avenue down to West End Trading Co. with musicians, golf carts, dancers, artists, and the community! There will be food trucks, live music and tons of craft beer & cocktails to be had!
FREE
Voodoo Mardi Gras Party
Friday, February 21, 2025, 7pm
Cocktails & Screams
Celebrating Mardi Gras, Cocktails & Screams style! They will transport you to Bourbon St complete with a live jazz band and other specialty entertainment performances from Eric Lopez & Ivy Les Vixens!
28th Annual Mardi Gras Dog Parade & Festival
Saturday, February 22, 2025, 8am (parade at 11am)
Downtown DeLand Historic District
DeLand goes to the Dogs at the 28th Annual Mardi Gras Dog Parade & Festival. The fun starts at 8:00am with the Dog Costume Contest followed by the Parade at 11:00am. The parade starts on Michigan Ave and Woodland Blvd and runs south to Howry Ave. The fun continues at their Festival on Georgia Ave immediately following the parade. There will be food, music and vendors as the Mardi Gras celebration continues!
FREE
Mardi Gras Drag Brunch
Sunday, February 23, 2025, 12pm
The Voo Doo Room
808 E. Washington Street Orlando, FL 32801
Hamburger Mary's Orlando presets Mardi Gras Drag Brunch at The Voo Doo Room, featuring The Brunch Bunch and the Voo Doo Dolls!
$5.99
