Best places to celebrate Mardi Gras around the world

Sydney Mardi Gras parade (Shutterstock)

Sydney Mardi Gras unites with Syndey WorldPride to put on a fantastic carnival celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community. It’s the largest pride festival in the Southern Hemisphere, with exhibitions, drag performances, the Mardi Gras Fair, and more. The Mardi Gras parade is the pinnacle of the celebrations, when tens of thousands of participants take to Oxford Road to march with hundreds of floats that represent ‘every corner of the community’. In 2023, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras celebrates its 45^th anniversary.

When: 17 February to 5 March 2023

Masks will be seen everywhere at Carnival of Venice (Shutterstock)

Carnevale di Venezia – or the Carnival of Venice – is perhaps one of the best-known carnivals in the world. First held in the eleventh century, it continued to grow into a two-month celebration until the late 1700s when the carnival and the use of masks was forbidden by Francis II, Emperor of Austria. It was later reintroduced by the Italian government in 1979, and has been a flurry of feathers and elaborate masks ever since. The celebrations usually begin two weeks before lent, with the main masquerade event taking place on Mardi Gras, the final day.

When: 4 to 21 February 2023

Bringing floral elegance to the French Riviera, the Carnival of Nice hosts not just one, but multiple parades. However, it is best known for its flower processions where giant floats are blanketed in petals. Although Nice Carnival was first recorded to take place in 1294, the Flower Parades were introduced later in 1876, now showcasing the best local produce in the area. Other parades include Lou Queernaval, the Carnival Parade of Lights, and in 2023, the Big 150^th Anniversary Parade takes place on 11 February.

When: 10 to 26 February

When most people picture Carnival, they don’t often imagine revellers wrapped up in coats with a backdrop of ice and snow. But in Quebec City, this is exactly the scenery you will have at Carnaval de Québec – or better known as Quebec Winter Carnival. Although it officially started in 1955, it actually was first inspired by the French brought the Mardi Gras celebration to this Canadian city back in the late 19^th century. However they had to adapt to their weather conditions at this time of year. Now, you can expect to find ice canoing along St. Lawrence River, the building of snow sculptures, and of course, parades!

When: 4 to 12 February 2023

Some of the vibrant costumes you might see at Mardi Gras in New Orleans (Shutterstock)

The mother of all Mardi Gras, New Orleans is a city that has become synonymous with its epic annual carnival. A tradition originally begun in Mobile by French settlers over 300 years ago, the main Mardi Gras festival moved to New Orleans (though it’s still celebrated in Mobile) when it became Louisiana’s capital in 1723. The carnival has only grown in splendour ever since. Officially starting in early January, the festivities really start to ramp up a fortnight before ‘Fat Tuesday’ where flurries of kaleidoscopic floats and vibrant dressed locals parade the streets at day and night. Head to the French Quarter, New Orleans’ most historic neigbourhood, for its most exuberant displays and leave weighted down by beads in the traditional Mardi Gras colours of gold, green and purple.

When: 6 January to 21 February 2023

Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival is on an epic scale (Shutterstock)

New Orleans might be the home of the quintessential Mardi Gras we all think of but Rio de Janeiro is by far the largest. The Brazilian city’s Carnival is huge. In fact, it’s reckoned to be the world’s biggest festival, with around two million people said to attend every year. Expect a fantasia of colour, glitter and glamour that begins as lively pockets of street parties organised by locals before crescendoing with its crowning event: the Samba Parade, where extravagantly dressed locals shimmy beside elaborately decorated floats to infectious samba beats. With the Carnival celebrating its 300th anniversary this year, prepare for this year to be the world’s largest festival its most ambitious yet.

When: 17 to 25 February 2023

Locals dressed as ‘Gilles’ at the Carnival of Binche (Shutterstock)

Like the Carnival of Venice, Binche is a festival full of masked revellers. But unlike its Italian counterpart, in Binche they all look the same. Here, men don identical quirky orange and red costumes, clogs and cartoonish masks before parading through the medieval streets, dancing in time to the sound of drums. As the procession flows through the city, the men – known for the day as Gilles – throw oranges to bystanders either side. If you are hit by one or catch one, it’s said to bring good luck. Just don’t throw it back, as it’s considered an insult.

When: 19 to 21 February 2023