As we turn the page from the holidays and the New Year, as the rest of the U.S. starts to return to normal, in New Orleans the holiday season rolls on with Carnival.
Starting on January 6th, we begin eating King Cake and inevitably we talk about if Mardi Gras is early or late.
But where is the cutoff between early and late, and is two categories enough?
I built IsMardiGrasEarly.com to help you better classify the Carnival season.
The basics
Mardi Gras is 47 days before Easter, which follows the lunar calendar. The earliest possible date is February 3rd. The latest is March 9th. That’s 35 possible dates in a regular year, 36 if you count February 29th.
The timing matters for two reasons:
King Cake season length. Carnival starts on January 6th (Twelfth Night). An early Mardi Gras means fewer weeks of king cake. A late one means more.
The weather. Early February can require a coat on the parade route. By early March, you’re applying sunscreen. These are different experiences.
The classification system
The problem with just “early” and “late” is that it’s imprecise. February 20th and March 8th are both “late”? That doesn’t seem right.
So I built a system that lets you classify Mardi Gras by splitting the 36 possible dates into two, three, or four buckets.
| Split | Groups | Days per Group |
|---|---|---|
| Two Buckets | Early, Late | 18 |
| Three Buckets | Early, Kinda in the Middle, Late | 12 |
| Four Buckets | Early, Kinda Early, Kinda Late, Late | 9 |
The full breakdown
| # | Date | Two Buckets | Three Buckets | Four Buckets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feb. 3 | Early | Early | Early |
| 2 | Feb. 4 | Early | Early | Early |
| 3 | Feb. 5 | Early | Early | Early |
| 4 | Feb. 6 | Early | Early | Early |
| 5 | Feb. 7 | Early | Early | Early |
| 6 | Feb. 8 | Early | Early | Early |
| 7 | Feb. 9 | Early | Early | Early |
| 8 | Feb. 10 | Early | Early | Early |
| 9 | Feb. 11 | Early | Early | Early |
| 10 | Feb. 12 | Early | Early | Kinda Early |
| 11 | Feb. 13 | Early | Early | Kinda Early |
| 12 | Feb. 14 | Early | Early | Kinda Early |
| 13 | Feb. 15 | Early | Kinda in the Middle | Kinda Early |
| 14 | Feb. 16 | Early | Kinda in the Middle | Kinda Early |
| 15 | Feb. 17 | Early | Kinda in the Middle | Kinda Early |
| 16 | Feb. 18 | Early | Kinda in the Middle | Kinda Early |
| 17 | Feb. 19 | Early | Kinda in the Middle | Kinda Early |
| 18 | Feb. 20 | Early | Kinda in the Middle | Kinda Early |
| 19 | Feb. 21 | Late | Kinda in the Middle | Kinda Late |
| 20 | Feb. 22 | Late | Kinda in the Middle | Kinda Late |
| 21 | Feb. 23 | Late | Kinda in the Middle | Kinda Late |
| 22 | Feb. 24 | Late | Kinda in the Middle | Kinda Late |
| 23 | Feb. 25 | Late | Kinda in the Middle | Kinda Late |
| 24 | Feb. 26 | Late | Kinda in the Middle | Kinda Late |
| 25 | Feb. 27 | Late | Late | Kinda Late |
| 26 | Feb. 28 | Late | Late | Kinda Late |
| 27 | Feb. 29 | Late | Late | Kinda Late |
| 28 | Mar. 1 | Late | Late | Late |
| 29 | Mar. 2 | Late | Late | Late |
| 30 | Mar. 3 | Late | Late | Late |
| 31 | Mar. 4 | Late | Late | Late |
| 32 | Mar. 5 | Late | Late | Late |
| 33 | Mar. 6 | Late | Late | Late |
| 34 | Mar. 7 | Late | Late | Late |
| 35 | Mar. 8 | Late | Late | Late |
| 36 | Mar. 9 | Late | Late | Late |
Is Mardi Gras 2026 early?
Mardi Gras falls on February 17th this year.
Two Buckets: Early.
Three Buckets: Kinda in the Middle.
Four Buckets: Kinda Early.
Expect coat weather and a shorter king cake season. Make the most of it.
Want the quick answer for any year? Check out ismardigrasearly.com.