What to Wear to Mardi Gras 2027

Packing philosophy

Dress to stand from dawn. Mardi Gras Day is Tuesday 9 February 2027: Zulu steps off at 8am and Rex at 10:30am, and the walking krewes and costume crowds fill the Quarter and the Marigny in between. NOAA's airport normals give February 19.1°C by afternoon and 9.8°C at night, with about 9 rain days, so Zulu's first floats pass near the day's low. New Orleans & Company describes Mardi Gras as the one day masking is legal for everyone; float riders must mask by law. So the costume goes over warm layers: a purple velvet jacket over a green cable knit, jeans, lug boots for ten hours on the route, a packable shell in case, and a crossbody with room for throws.

What the dress code actually is

Mardi Gras Day has a custom rather than a code: costume. New Orleans & Company describes it as the one day masking is legal for everyone in the city, and on the route and in the Quarter most people dress up, in the Carnival colours of purple, green and gold or in a costume of their own design. The route has rules, which NOLA Ready publishes: no glass, no personal items on the right-of-way more than four hours before a parade, and ladders at least six feet back from the curb. The Rex ball that night is the formal end of Carnival and is by invitation; the Rex Organization's protocol calls for costume de rigueur, white tie and tails for men and floor-length gowns, not white, with white gloves for women. For the street, dress up and dress warm.

The capsule

1. 
   01

   Purple crushed-velvet cropped jacket, gold sequin lapels

   Mardi Gras Day is costume day, and a velvet jacket is a costume that keeps you warm. Velvet holds heat at the 10°C start of Zulu, and gold sequin lapels catch every float's lights. Purple is the colour of the day.

2. 
   02

   Kelly-green chunky cable-knit crew

   The warm layer for an 8am start on St. Charles, in Carnival green. A chunky cable knit under the velvet jacket is warm enough at 10°C / 50°F and comes off by the Rex parade.

3. 
   03

   Deep indigo straight-leg jeans

   Ten hours of standing, sitting on curbs and walking to the Quarter. Dark denim takes it and goes under any costume top, and it is warm enough for the morning.

4. 
   04

   Cognac nubuck lace-up lug-sole ankle boots

   The route is pavement, curb and trodden beads from dawn to dark. A padded lug-sole boot is built for standing all day and grips a sticky street. Laced, it stays on in the crush at Canal Street.

5. 
   05

   Small dark-olive leather flap crossbody

   Phone, cash and ID across the body, with both hands free for throws. Olive is a Carnival green, and a flap with gold hardware stays shut in a crowd.

6. 
   06

   Purple sequin mini top hat with green and gold plume

   A costume piece you can wear all day without a full costume. A mini top hat on a clip carries purple, green and gold at once and sits above the crowd for the float riders to see.

7. 
   07

   Smoky mauve hooded packable rain shell

   February has about 9 rain days on NOAA's airport normals, and umbrellas block everyone behind you on a parade route. A packable hooded shell rolls into the crossbody, and mauve stays inside the purple.

A suggested look — purple velvet jacket with gold sequin lapels and cuffs, green cable-knit sweater, indigo jeans and cognac lug-sole boots, purple mini top hat with green and gold feathers, olive crossbody bag.

What to avoid

• Glass on the route
• A ladder within 6 ft of the curb
• Heels for ten hours on foot
• An umbrella in the crowd
• Dressing only for the afternoon