'Let the good times roll' – Mardi Gras isn't over at this Central Florida theme park
Mardi Gras — or Fat Tuesday — marks the final day of the Carnival season. Festivities typically begin several weeks before the big day, and celebrations are held in countries worldwide, with music, parades, dancing, feasts and lots of fun (possibly fueled by a cocktail or two).
Here in the U.S., New Orleans is practically synonymous with Mardi Gras, but it's not the only spot that lets loose with a little bead-throwing, beignet-eating, jazz-playing revelry. One destination, in particular, doesn't stop celebrating until well after the official Mardi Gras holiday has passed, giving everyone a chance to keep the party going.
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Universal Orlando Resort kicked off its 2024 Mardi Gras festivities Feb. 3 (10 days before Fat Tuesday), and this year's party goes until April 7. Yes, Universal celebrates Mardi Gras every day for over two months, and I make it a point to go yearly ... sometimes more than once.
What is included with Universal's Mardi Gras?
The weather is cooler, the crowds are smaller than when you visit in summer and the Mardi Gras festivities are included in the cost of your park ticket.
"I think the best part about why this is such an amazing place to celebrate is that when you buy your tickets to Universal Studios Florida, you get all of this Mardi Gras stuff with that one ticket price," Lora Sauls, assistant director of creative development and show direction for entertainment, art and design at Universal Orlando Resort, told TPG. "It doesn't cost any extra."
Most of the Mardi Gras festivities happen at Universal Studios Florida. There is a daily parade, live music and entertainment, and specialty food and beverage booths stationed around the park. There are plenty of beignets and bowls of jambalaya, but Universal doesn't limit the menu to stateside Mardi Gras staples.
"We have that classic New Orleans fare, but you also can get schnitzel from Germany or dishes from Puerto Rico, Colombia, Spain, France and China. You won't get that in New Orleans," Sauls said.
Most of the dishes are smaller servings that are reasonably priced and perfect for sharing. The giant pretzel with beer cheese and chicken schnitzel cost $20.48, leaving plenty of room for me and my husband to sample foods from the other booths.
Universal doesn't shy away from authenticity because these dishes are served in a theme park. The cold Szechwan noodle salad ($5.99) from the China booth was the spiciest thing I have ever eaten in a theme park. Good thing I had a Grapefruit Radler ($16) from my stop at the Germany booth to wash it down with.
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With a Mardi Gras food and beverage tasting card, you can save a little money on all those tasty dishes. The tasting card lets you get $75 worth of food from the global food booths for a cost of $65. Trust me, there is so much good food you won't have any trouble using it all during your visit.
You can also attend a free concert on Saturdays and some Sundays during the event. This year's lineup includes well-known performers like KC and the Sunshine Band, Queen Latifah and Walker Hayes.
A few years ago, I saw one of my favorite bands, Sugar Ray, and my friends and I still talk about what an amazing performance it was. The fact that you can see artists of this caliber for free is hard to believe.
You don't have to wait until the evening parade to "laissez les bons temps rouler" because there is live entertainment throughout the day.
You can hear jazz music all day long as you walk around the park and can catch live jazz performances in the afternoon. You may also run into a few of the parade performers. They wander through the park beforehand to meet guests and drum up excitement for that night's parade.
The theme of Universal's Mardi Gras parade changes each year. There are classic floats that appear every year, but Universal mixes in six themed floats, too.
"This year, our theme is the elements of Mardi Gras. So we really leaned into earth, wind, fire, water, and — what makes all of those things happen — the sun and moon," Sauls said.
Like any good Mardi Gras parade, Universal's has lots and lots of beads (and possibly even more confetti).
I've caught dozens of beads in one sitting, and I've even had the opportunity to ride on a parade float and bestow beads on lucky paradegoers. Anyone can try for a chance at riding on a parade float. You can guarantee your spot by purchasing a Mardi Gras Float Ride and Dine Experience ticket that includes dinner before the parade and a spot on one of the floats.
Universal Orlando annual pass holders can also sign up online in advance for a spot. All guests can enter a virtual queue when they are inside the park for that night's parade. The virtual queue will open if there are any spots for that evening. Because spots are scarce, they go quickly.
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A friend tipped me off to the best approach to visit the spot where float-riders meet: outside the entrance to the Animal Actors on Location! stage a few hours before the parade's start time.
Attendants will alert guests in the area when they are about to open virtual queue spots for the day, and those with the fastest fingers might find themselves throwing beads later that night.
Universal's Mardi Gras has ties to New Orleans
Universal's Mardi Gras celebration doesn't just pull inspiration from New Orleans. It actually has close ties to New Orleans that appear in various parts of the event. This includes working with one of New Orleans' premier Mardi Gras float designers and builders, Kern Studios.
"We take a yearly trip to New Orleans. The Kern family takes us to their parade dens to look at all the props," Sauls shared. "They never throw a prop away from any of their Mardi Gras floats. So we look through those, and that's kind of how we come up with a theme."
Universal then works collaboratively with Kern Studios to install the props and paint the floats before debuting them to parkgoers.
Universal has such a close working relationship with the Kern family that it dedicated a memorial window to Blaine Kern, who founded Kern Studios, when he died in 2020. You can see it above the theater that shows Universal Orlando's Horror Makeup Show.
Universal's Mardi Gras is family-friendly
If you visit New Orleans for Mardi Gras, you can find family-friendly spots to celebrate, but when you visit Universal Orlando during Mardi Gras, you don't have to seek out parades or activities geared toward families.
That's because the entire event is designed to be family-friendly.
"Orlando's Mardi Gras is a family-friendly Mardi Gras. New Orleans knows how to party," Sauls said. "We still have the party, but it's just a little more family-friendly."
We've brought our oldest to celebrate Mardi Gras with us at Universal, and he always has a great time trying the food and catching beads in the parade.
We even once rode in the parade as a family, which is one of those core memories I hope he always remembers. Even if your kids primarily like visiting Universal for the rides, the Mardi Gras atmosphere just adds to the fun.
Bottom line
You know those parties you wish would never end? That's how I feel when I visit Universal Orlando during Mardi Gras. Luckily, they keep the party going long enough; anyone who wants to visit has time to catch as many beads as possible before Universal packs up the parade floats until next year.
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