When Is Mardi Gras?
Mardi Gras 2027 is on Tuesday, February 9 — in 96 days. It is always the Tuesday 47 days before Easter Sunday.
Updated · By the YearlyCalendar.org team
Mardi Gras — French for “Fat Tuesday” — is the last day of Carnival before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. In the UK and other countries the same day is Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day.
February 2027 calendar
Mardi Gras is marked on Tuesday, February 9, 2027, along with the other US federal holidays and observances of the month.
- Federal holiday / day off
- Observance
- Weekend
February 2027 – Mardi Gras 2027
| Wk | SundaySun | MondayMon | TuesdayTue | WednesdayWed | ThursdayThu | FridayFri | SaturdaySat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1 | 2Groundhog Day | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6Lunar New Year | |
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) | 10Ash Wednesday | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 7 | 14Valentine's Day | 15Presidents' Day | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 8 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 8 | 28 |
Mardi Gras dates 2020–2040
Between 2020 and 2040, Mardi Gras falls as early as February 6 (2035) and as late as March 9 (2038). It is always a Tuesday.
How the date is set
Mardi Gras is the day before Ash Wednesday, which is 46 days before Easter Sunday. Because Easter can fall from March 22 to April 25, Mardi Gras can fall from February 3 to March 9.
Mardi Gras in the United States
On March 3, 1699, the French explorer Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville landed on the Mississippi about 60 miles downriver from present-day New Orleans and named the spot Pointe du Mardi Gras. Mobile, Alabama, claims America's first Mardi Gras celebration, in 1703. In New Orleans the Mistick Krewe of Comus staged the first themed night parade on February 24, 1857. Rex, the King of Carnival, first paraded in 1872 and introduced Carnival's purple, green and gold; the colors were given their meanings — justice, faith and power — in 1892.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
When is Mardi Gras 2028?
Mardi Gras 2028 is on Tuesday, February 29, 2028.
Why is it called Fat Tuesday?
It was the last day to eat meat, butter and other rich foods before the fasting of Lent began.
When does Carnival season start?
In New Orleans, Carnival opens on January 6, Twelfth Night (the feast of the Epiphany), and ends at midnight on Mardi Gras. In many other places Twelfth Night means the evening of January 5.
Is Mardi Gras a holiday?
Not a federal one: federal offices and post offices stay open. Louisiana law (R.S. 1:55) lists Mardi Gras as a legal holiday and state offices close; parishes and cities such as New Orleans close by local ordinance. In Alabama it is a state holiday only in Mobile and Baldwin counties.