My Experience at Mardi Gras in New Orleans • The Blonde Abroad

Celebrating Mardi Gras in New Orleans is on many people’s bucket lists. While I’ve always wanted to partake in the world-famous festivities, part of me wondered if it wouldn’t be a complete tourist-filled drunk-fest lacking any real culture.

I’m thrilled to say that, after experiencing Mardi Gras in New Orleans first-hand, it’s one of the best festivals I’ve ever been to!

Mardi Gras falls on a Tuesday (Fat Tuesday), but the festivities begin the weekend leading up to it. I arrived with my friend Matt, of Nomadic Matt, on the Sunday before Fat Tuesday ready to get my fill of jazz and gumbo!

We spent most of our time exploring the French Quarter where we were entertained by marching jazz bands, humored by the elaborate costumes and stuffed from delicious Creole & Cajun food.

Mardi Gras was both everything I had hoped for and nothing like what I expected. We’ve all heard of the festival being a scene with women flashing for beads and I totally expected the streets (especially Bourbon Street) to be filled with half-naked drunk people.

What I found instead, were elaborately dressed festival-goers of all ages celebrating, laughing and expressing themselves through music, art and dance.

It was not dissimilar to the infectiously liberating energy I felt at Burning Man.

While many costumes and signs were humorous and outrageous, I never once felt anything other than love and positivity around me.

One of the highlights from my experience was watching some of the parades. The Krewe of Bacchus parade lit up the streets of New Orleans with their incredible floats, marching bands and incredible light shows.

People lined the streets as the floats threw down everything from beads to stuffed toys.

Overall, it was one of the most unforgettable festivals I’ve ever had and just the right amount of weird. If you love music, food and a great party, don’t miss this experience!

READ NEXT: The Beginner’s Guide to Mardi Gras in New Orleans

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A little late sharing this — but I needed time to sit with 2025. It was so much more than what made it to Instagram.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
This was the year I stopped measuring life in miles traveled… and started measuring it in the days we weren’t promised.

Not in passport stamps.
Not in hotel check-ins.
Not in how far we could go.

But in the quiet relief of “clear.”
In small hands squeezing mine tighter.
In birthday candles and quiet camping mornings.
In laughter that came back after fear.

2025 was the plot twist year.

The year I learned strength doesn’t look like control —
it looks like surrender.
It looks like showing up anyway.
It looks like choosing joy even when you know how fragile it is.

And it looks like being surrounded by the people who love us most.

We traveled the world.
But more importantly —
we celebrated what we almost lost.

And at the end of it all?
We packed up our life and chose a new continent. 🇿🇦

2025, you were heavy.
You were also beautiful.
You changed me.

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My favorite smart features of my old home! 🏠
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••⁠
I put a lot of thought and design into my home, so I knew I had to get curated, high-tech window shades to match.

Enter @rollishades — sleek, custom motorized shades that actually elevate the space while solving the very real sunlight problem. From light-filtering to blackout options, everything is tailored to fit perfectly and controlled with the touch of a button (or app). It’s the kind of smart, intentional design that makes a home feel finished. 🪟🤍

I easily installed these in my guest bedroom and let me just say, when guests come over, they’re getting what feels like a hotel experience in my home (minus the room service).
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🚨 FINAL SPOTS. 🚨
Our @tbaescapes Luxury Peru Journey is nearly sold out — and we are down to the last remaining spaces 🇵🇪🦙
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
We shared this experience first with our email waitlist… and it filled fast. Now, we’re down to the very last spots — and this is it.

When they’re gone, they’re gone.

This is your chance to join one of the most extraordinary trips we’ve ever offered!

Think: luxury accommodations, a fully all-inclusive experience, a bucket list rail journey and overnight stay at Machu Picchu, and a once-in-a-lifetime finale cruising the Amazon Rainforest aboard a privately chartered luxury riverboat.

📍 Peru
🗓 September 6–16, 2026

No planning. No second-guessing.
Just iconic places, seamless logistics, and the kind of sisterhood that makes these trips unforgettable.

🚨 Spots are extremely limited! 🚨
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Sahra

wow, love this! I’m headed to New Orleans next month and while it won’t be for mardi gras I’m hoping for an amped up level of fun!

XO Sahra
Que Sera Sahra

November 17, 2015 at 11:57 am · Reply

Kiersten Rich

Awesome, have the best time!!

November 17, 2015 at 1:42 pm · Reply

Diana

Hi Kiersten! I love your blog! I’m from New Orleans and have one tiny edit for this post. Your post states that the festivities start the weekend before Mardi Gras, but they actually start way earlier. This year our first parade was January 6 and Mardi Gras is February 9! That’s a month of crazy-ness–but in the best possible way. Cheers!

January 17, 2016 at 1:25 pm · Reply

Kiersten Rich

Thank you Diana! Great to know 😉

January 18, 2016 at 9:44 pm · Reply

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It was not dissimilar to the infectiously liberating energy I felt at Burning Man.

READ NEXT: The Beginner’s Guide to Mardi Gras in New Orleans

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