Mardi Gras World on Postcard

"You might walk right by this anonymous warehouse by the Port of New Orleans, but inside is a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into the country's biggest free party—Mardi Gras. The huge floats take months to build and decorate, and this is where a large part of that happens. Painters and sculptors are actually working on pieces as you take this 90-minute walking tour, so it feels like you’re being let in on a secret." - Paul Oswell

The 23 Best Things to Do in New Orleans

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@cntraveler

"Zoom out. What’s this place all about?An anonymous warehouse by the Port of New Orleans is home to a huge working studio, and inside, it looks like something akin to a movie production. It’s not somewhere you’d pass by ordinarily, but most tour companies and hotels will promote it. What will we find in the collection?It’s not so much a collection as it is a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into the country's biggest free party–Mardi Gras. The huge floats take months to build and decorate, and this is where a large part of that happens. Painters and sculptures are actually working on pieces as you walk through, and it feels like being let in on a secret. The space houses whatever is being built that year, so it’s luck of the draw what you see—although just nearly all the floats are impressive in their scale and level of detail. Do we need a guide?It’s a guided tour–you can't just wander around on your own given the working nature of the venue. Thankfully, the tour delivers fascinating historical context to the festival, and dives into the significance of each of the floats and the various organizations they belong to. Any advice for the time- or attention-challenged?The tour lasts 90 minutes, the perfect amount of time here, and you'll leave with a renewed appreciation of all those Mardi Gras floats and festivities." - Paul Oswell

Mardi Gras World

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@afar

"Where it's always Mardi Gras Mardi Gras World, located in the Port area of New Orleans near the convention center, is a fun stop any time of year. Your tour starts with a brief history of Mardi Gras, a chance to try on some of the elaborate costumes and a taste of New Orleans ' famous king cake.Your are then taken behind the scenes to witness a team of artists constructing floats for the next Mardi Gras season as well as a look at the warehouse that houses past years' floats."

The Best Things to Do in New Orleans

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@afar

"Where it's always Mardi Gras Mardi Gras World, located in the Port area of New Orleans near the convention center, is a fun stop any time of year. Your tour starts with a brief history of Mardi Gras, a chance to try on some of the elaborate costumes and a taste of New Orleans ' famous king cake.Your are then taken behind the scenes to witness a team of artists constructing floats for the next Mardi Gras season as well as a look at the warehouse that houses past years' floats."

The Perfect Day in New Orleans

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@eater

"Mardi Gras World is the venue for the first ever booze-free 'portfolio party' during the Tales of the Cocktail event, sponsored by William Grant & Sons. Guest bartender Julia Momose from Chicago will demo her self-branded ‘spirit-free’ cocktails." - Beth D'Addono

From Rump-Shaking Cardio to AA Meetings, Tales Is Going Beyond Alcohol This Year - Eater New Orleans

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Travis Steele

Google

Great tour, interesting exhibits, your tour experiences will be based on who gives it. Each person puts their own shine on the material. We took the tour twice back to back with different groups. Very informative, interesting items. Such a neat backstage view of what it takes to make a float and what else they do

Gary Ambessi

Google

So pleasantly surprised with my visit here. It's an actual working factory that includes a guided tour with lots of history on the props made for parade floats nationwide not only in NOLA. After the tour you're free to roam around on your own to view the hundreds of props being stored and worked on here. Great for any age!

Brittany Ledger

Google

This was one my favorite things I did when I came to New Orleans with my high school in 2017. It’s so cool to see all the props and floats here and to learn about the history. The best part has got to be the complimentary slice of king cake. Mardi Gras World also has a free shuttle that’s drives around the city at various locations to take you yo and from the warehouse. The only problem with the shuttle is we took it at the end of the day around 3/4 and instead of cycling around the city like it normally would they said Canal Street was the only drop off.

Paige Lynam

Google

Wow, you imagine it they will create it. What a spectacular place to visit. Fun afternoon out for these 2 Aussie girls our tour guide was very informative. We had a great afternoon and would highly recommend.

Sharan Knoell

Google

The good: The tour was really informative, and there were artists actually working on the floats when we were there. You also get served a piece of king cake, which was quite good, and the gift shop was fun to walk around. I think it was well worth the money, and you can take photos of anything you'd like. The frustrating: As it does in NOLA, it decided to pour while we were on the tour. While the tour is totally indoors, there are gaping holes in the roof, which meant it poured while we were on the tour. Even trying to step around the ceiling waterfalls, we still got wet. Try and go when it's not raining. The comical: The free shuttle broke down and left us stranded at the museum. The shuttle is old, so it didn't surprise us, but we made friends while we were standing and waiting. After an hour, we took a Lyft back.

Tricia Weeks

Google

First time in NOLA, and this tour was a trip highlight! We are thankful for the free transportation offered to and from the facility. Once there, our guide Duncan was great! He was friendly and knowledgeable. We learned a lot about the intricacies of float design and building along with all the other types of building they do for hotels, restaurants, theme parks, football teams, etc. They are a global operation! Loved the naming story behind their one robot Pixie. Very touching. I truly appreciated having the opportunity to self-tour after the guided tour to take pictures. We also sampled King Cake, which was a delicious surprise. Highly recommend!

Carolyn Kane

Google

This tour was more then I expected!! Was so interesting to learned how the different floats are made and to be able to see the different prices that were in the past years floats. The art work is incredible. There were even artist working while we were there that we got to watch make some of the new prices for the upcoming year. Plenty of photo opportunities!

Holly Eubanks

Google

We’ve been wanting to visit for years and so glad we finally did! Fantastic! Tours every 30 minutes. You can walk around by yourself before or after the tour. Watch live artists work. Free shuttle to and from!

Travis Steele

Google

Great tour, interesting exhibits, your tour experiences will be based on who gives it. Each person puts their own shine on the material. We took the tour twice back to back with different groups. Very informative, interesting items. Such a neat backstage view of what it takes to make a float and what else they do

Gary Ambessi

Google

So pleasantly surprised with my visit here. It's an actual working factory that includes a guided tour with lots of history on the props made for parade floats nationwide not only in NOLA. After the tour you're free to roam around on your own to view the hundreds of props being stored and worked on here. Great for any age!

Brittany Ledger

Google

This was one my favorite things I did when I came to New Orleans with my high school in 2017. It’s so cool to see all the props and floats here and to learn about the history. The best part has got to be the complimentary slice of king cake. Mardi Gras World also has a free shuttle that’s drives around the city at various locations to take you yo and from the warehouse. The only problem with the shuttle is we took it at the end of the day around 3/4 and instead of cycling around the city like it normally would they said Canal Street was the only drop off.

Paige Lynam

Google

Wow, you imagine it they will create it. What a spectacular place to visit. Fun afternoon out for these 2 Aussie girls our tour guide was very informative. We had a great afternoon and would highly recommend.

Sharan Knoell

Google

The good: The tour was really informative, and there were artists actually working on the floats when we were there. You also get served a piece of king cake, which was quite good, and the gift shop was fun to walk around. I think it was well worth the money, and you can take photos of anything you'd like. The frustrating: As it does in NOLA, it decided to pour while we were on the tour. While the tour is totally indoors, there are gaping holes in the roof, which meant it poured while we were on the tour. Even trying to step around the ceiling waterfalls, we still got wet. Try and go when it's not raining. The comical: The free shuttle broke down and left us stranded at the museum. The shuttle is old, so it didn't surprise us, but we made friends while we were standing and waiting. After an hour, we took a Lyft back.

Tricia Weeks

Google

First time in NOLA, and this tour was a trip highlight! We are thankful for the free transportation offered to and from the facility. Once there, our guide Duncan was great! He was friendly and knowledgeable. We learned a lot about the intricacies of float design and building along with all the other types of building they do for hotels, restaurants, theme parks, football teams, etc. They are a global operation! Loved the naming story behind their one robot Pixie. Very touching. I truly appreciated having the opportunity to self-tour after the guided tour to take pictures. We also sampled King Cake, which was a delicious surprise. Highly recommend!

Carolyn Kane

Google

This tour was more then I expected!! Was so interesting to learned how the different floats are made and to be able to see the different prices that were in the past years floats. The art work is incredible. There were even artist working while we were there that we got to watch make some of the new prices for the upcoming year. Plenty of photo opportunities!

Holly Eubanks

Google

We’ve been wanting to visit for years and so glad we finally did! Fantastic! Tours every 30 minutes. You can walk around by yourself before or after the tour. Watch live artists work. Free shuttle to and from!

Mardi Gras World

Mardi Gras World

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