Best New Orleans Resorts for Mardi Gras

One of the biggest parties in America is about to erupt in New Orleans with Mardi Gras taking place over the next couple of weeks. The actual day of the Mardi Gras parade this year is Tuesday, March 1, which is the day before Ash Wednesday and concludes the Carnival season in New Orleans prior to the start of Lent and the lead up to Easter.

Since Mardi Gras falls on a Tuesday, you can plan for a week’s worth of celebrating in the Big Easy, and timeshare is the perfect way to secure accommodation. Points-based programs are the best suited for this, since points are flexible enough to book vacations at nearly any time of the year.

Because the Mardi Gras holiday is fluid, depending on the Easter calendar, using your timeshare points will give you great resort options. For those owners who own a week of timeshare, you can exchange your use through an exchange company in order to book your accommodation in a New Orleans timeshare resort.

Will COVID Impact Mardi Gras?

With COVID rules seemingly changing by the day in some jurisdictions, it’s fair to ask what the requirements are for Mardi Gras attendees. The City of New Orleans has extended what they term as a Modified Phase Three plan which includes:

• Mask requirement for all indoor spaces.
• Mask requirement for all outdoor events of 500+ people if total attendance is more than 50% of the outdoor venue's capacity (except when actively eating or drinking).
• Proof of vaccination or negative antigen or PCR test to enter bars, restaurants, breweries, concert/music halls, casinos and live performance venues.
• Proof of vaccination or negative antigen or PCR test for indoor event gatherings or outdoor events of more than 500 people if total attendance is more than 50% of the outdoor venue's capacity.

Something tells me that patrons will easily be avoiding the outdoor mask mandate simply by triggering the actively drinking loophole. If you are going, check with your resort staff for the latest requirements since it appears there is no official capacity limit for standing along the side of a street, so how can this possibly be enforced?

A great overview of the details surrounding the parade routes can be found here, since some of the routes have been changed for 2022.

Because Bourbon Street is too narrow for motorized floats, the larger parades will be held out of the French Quarter, with the closest being the Zulu parade route. Saint Charles Avenue and Canal Street are the preferred routes for most of the main parades.

More informal parades still take place along Bourbon Street, but are pedestrian-only and, shall we say, more on the adult side for entertainment value.

What is the Schedule for Mardi Gras?

You may not be aware, but the locals consider the start of the Mardi Gras season to really begin tomorrow, the weekend of Saturday, February 19, with events nearly every day through Mardi Gras. There are more family-friendly events such as Family Gras and the more traditional Lundi Gras which is the preparation event on February 28 to prepare for Mardi Gras the following day.       

Parades and processions, known as Krewes, take place at various places during Mardi Gras, with a schedule of events posted to this website here. Technically, the Carnival season started on January 6, so you’ll see several parades listed with the action ramping up the closer you get to March 1.

Best New Orleans Timeshare Resorts for Mardi Gras

Now that you have all the info for Mardi Gras, all you need now is a place to stay. We’ve got you covered, with the New Orleans timeshare resorts below preferred by our visitors who place offers and inquiries about these resorts.

WorldMark Avenue Plaza

The beauty of WorldMark’s relationship with Wyndham is that they sometimes share the same resort location. This is the case with WorldMark Avenue Plaza, which is at the same location as Wyndham New Orleans at Avenue Plaza and gives WorldMark owners the same great spot to see the Zulu, Uptown and Rex parades along Saint Charles Ave.

With a choice between studio and one-bedroom units, both with kitchen facilities, you can prepare snacks or light meals before heading out to watch the parades.

Bluegreen Resorts The Marquee

This is the ideal place to enjoy the Endymion parade route, which was changed this year to turn onto Elk Place instead of Saint Charles. The Zulu parade route also comes right along Elk Place, and your location just about three blocks from the southwestern end of Bourbon St. will work perfectly.

One-, two- and three-bedroom unit options satisfy your accommodations needs, and head to the rooftop patio area to stake your place for amazing views of the parades.