Parade Maps and Apps | Mardi Gras Traditions

In 2025, Mardi Gras happenings and parades begin on Twelfth Night (January 6) and run through Fat Tuesday (March 4). Never has it been easier having vital information at your fingertips — and not just for the big float parades that draw most of the attention. Offbeat processions that often used to fly under the radar now enjoy visibility across a variety of media. Whether you’re looking to feast on the bounty or just avoid street closures and traffic snarls, having ready access to parade schedules, maps and real-time GPS tracking is key. Be aware parades can be affected inclement weather, accidents and float breakdowns. Receive updates on delays and scheduling changes, courtesy of the City of New Orleans’s NOLA Ready service, by texting NOLAREADY to 77295. Or follow @NOLAReady on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. Or sign up for email and text message alerts online. The following resources are also recommended:

WWL Parade Tracker

This app, a service of New Orleans CBS affiliate WWL-TV, provides a robust schedule of parades in the city and throughout Southeast Louisiana, along with real-time GPS tracking and basic parade and krewe info. Additional features allow for adding favorite parades to one’s calendar, sharing parade routes with friends and sorting parades by date, name and location. Receive notifications about parades. Tap on a route map to drop a pin to remember where you parked. Text your location to someone or get directions. Access news and weather from within the app. An update was released in January 2025, so be sure to delete the old version, if you have it, and download the latest from Google Play (Android devices) or Apple’s AppStore (iOS).

WDSU Parade Tracker

A game changer when first introduced for iOS in 2011, this tracker provides a schedule of parades in New Orleans and beyond, route maps, weather info and push notifications for important parade updates and route changes. Zoom in on the route maps to see key landmarks along with markets and restaurants. Brought to you by WDSU-TV, download it from Google Play or Apple’s App Store.

Routewise

This website from the city of New Orleans offers schedules, route maps and real-time GPS tracking of the lead and tail of New Orleans parades including the truck parades following Rex on Mardi Gras Day. One feature deserving of a bejeweled crown: users can view locations of public toilets put in place by the city for parades and special events. Routewise also shows first-aid stations and lost-child pickup locations. Click on the ‘My Location’ button to place a crosshair on the map, marking your current location. By copying and pasting the link into a text message, recipients will be able to see your location as a pin on the map.

Arthur Hardy’s Mardi Gras Guide

The venerable annual printed companion to the festivities, first published in 1977. Extensive krewe profiles/parade previews, including maps and detailed throw descriptions, plus news and features about happenings, personalities and traditions. The collectable guide and its eponymous publisher, known as the world’s foremost authority on Mardi Gras, are New Orleans institutions. During the Carnival season, catch Arthur Hardy on WVUE-TV. He also appears, in tandem with Peggy Scott Laborde and Errol Laborde, on WYES-TV’s Steppin’ Out “It’s Carnival Time” (schedule), which can also be seen on YouTube.

nola.com | The Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate

Essential rundown of New Orleans parades, with descriptions nicely turned by Mardi Gras and arts/entertainment maven Doug MacCash along with route maps and links to krewe websites and Facebook pages. Included are not only mainstream float parades but more quirky endeavors such as Krewe Boheme, Krewe of Cork and krewedelusion. Nola.com’s hub for Mardi Gras coverage can be found here.

Graphic of MardiGrasNewOrleans.com's 2025 parade schedule page

MardiGrasNewOrleans.com Parade Schedule

Comprehensive, user-friendly presentation, including an option to print, of schedule and maps for parades in New Orleans and many areas outside of the city including Metairie, Mandeville, Slidell, Covington, Chalmette, Madisonville and Pearl River. Use the handy calendar synch function for Android, Apple and other devices. Synch New Orleans parades, parades outside of New Orleans or both. Once downloaded, tap on a calendar entry to link to the parade map and info.