The first recorded Mardi Gras celebration with parades and floats took place in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1857. The Mystic Krewe of Comus, a secret society of revelers, introduced the tradition of organized parades with themed floats and torch-lit processions. This marked the beginning of the elaborate Mardi Gras celebrations that continue to this day.
Before that, Mardi Gras had been celebrated in Louisiana since at least 1699, when French explorers Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville and Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville held a small celebration near present-day New Orleans. However, these early festivities lacked the structured parades and floats that became the hallmark of the event in the mid-19th century.
The world’s largest Mardi Gras celebration takes place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Known as the Rio Carnival, it is the most famous and extravagant Carnival celebration in the world, attracting millions of people every year.
The highlight of the celebration is the Sambadrome parade, where top samba schools compete with dazzling floats, extravagant costumes, and energetic dancers.
Over 2 million people take to the streets each day of the festival.
Hundreds of street parties (Blocos) with live music, dancing, and festivities happen throughout the city.
While New Orleans, Louisiana, hosts the most famous Mardi Gras celebration in the U.S., Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival is the largest and most extravagant pre-Lenten festival in the world.
