What Should I Wear to a Mardi Gras Party
Purple, green and gold first: what to wear to a Mardi Gras party, part by part.
All 56 things to wear
Purple, green and gold
Masks and beads
Costumes
For a lunch or an office party
For a street parade
For a krewe ball
Leave at home
Purple, green and gold 6
All three colors at once Wear them whenever you are not in costume, a New Orleans carnival guide says. Green shirt, purple wig and gold glitter The New Orleans visitor bureau’s own example of a quick outfit in the colors. Jacket in one of the three colors The visitor bureau suggests one that fits your color scheme, for a chilly morning. Something gold Gold stands for power, the last of the three meanings from 1892. Something green Green stands for faith, by the same parade theme of 1892. Something purple Purple stands for justice, by the theme of a New Orleans parade in 1892.
Masks and beads 9
Beads strung with little figures Strands with animals or other shapes on them are among the prized throws. The best beads from your own bag of throws The visitor bureau pairs them with a wig and a tutu. Big metallic beads Since small beads lost favor in the 1990s, larger strands are the prized throws. Mask in purple, green and gold An easy way to dress up without a full costume, a French Quarter guide says. Mask made by a local artist A French Quarter guide calls the best of them things of beauty. Mask you made yourself If you are not making one, a French Quarter guide says, the city has plenty to buy. Old glass beads Until the 1960s the usual throw was a string of glass beads made in Czechoslovakia. Strings of plastic beads Among the most common things thrown from a parade float, Wikipedia notes. Venetian-style mask A French Quarter guide points to a shop of handmade Italian ones.
Costumes 10
Body glitter or face paint On the visitor bureau’s list of makeup that finishes a costume. Feather boa It adds texture and keeps you warm, the visitor bureau points out. Flashy hat A Texas island festival lists flashy hats with sequined outfits and colorful wigs. Rented costume New Orleans costume shops rent elaborate ones, both city guides note. Sequin fanny pack A flashy accessory that also holds a phone and a wallet, the visitor bureau says. Sequins New Orleanians build costumes on sequins and feathers, the visitor bureau says. Sparkly headdress with feathers What a French Quarter guide suggests for anyone who skips a full costume. Stick-on rhinestones around the eyes A small touch from the visitor bureau’s costume tips. Tutu The visitor bureau pairs one with a wig and beads for a quick costume. Wig in a bright color The quickest route from everyday clothes to a costume, the visitor bureau says.
For a lunch or an office party 6
A strand or two of beads over a plain top Beads are among the commonest throws of the season, so one strand says Mardi Gras at once. Boa in the colors over everyday clothes Souvenir shops sell boas in the colors, a French Quarter guide notes. Festive hat in the three colors Souvenir shops stock them, a French Quarter guide says. It comes off at the table. Headband in purple, green and gold A carnival guide lists headbands among the things that turn purple, green and gold each season. Mardi Gras polo or rugby shirt How to blend in with the locals, the New Orleans visitor bureau says. Shirt or blouse in one of the three colors Something in the colors is the least to wear, a French Quarter guide says.
For a street parade 10
Comfortable walking shoes Expect hours on your feet and a long walk, both New Orleans guides say. Crossbody bag or belt bag Locals in the visitor bureau’s tips keep phone and wallet close and both hands free. Layers to peel off as the day warms The day can start cold and damp and end warm and sunny, the visitor bureau warns. Light-up, metallic or jeweled sneakers The visitor bureau’s answer to comfortable shoes that are not boring. Old sneakers decorated with a glue gun The visitor bureau suggests dressing up a pair you already own. Rain boots They keep the mud and parade litter off your good shoes, a French Quarter guide says. Raincoat or poncho A French Quarter guide says to pack one if there is any chance of rain. Tights or leggings under the costume The visitor bureau’s removable extra layer. Tote for what you catch A local in the visitor bureau’s tips brings one to collect throws. White sneakers trimmed in the three colors One local’s parade shoes, in the visitor bureau’s tips.
For a krewe ball 7
Evening shoes you can stand in Cloth evening shoes, often satin, a newspaper’s ball guide says. Pick a comfortable pair. Floor-length evening gown Two parade clubs’ own ball pages require one, with a tuxedo, as strictly formal. Heels, for a formal event only A French Quarter guide says to pack a pair if a formal event is on your list. Long white kid gloves, in reserved seating A must in reserved seats at a costume de rigueur ball, a newspaper’s ball guide says. Tuxedo with a bow tie or formal tie What one parade club’s ball page means by strictly formal. White tie and tails, for costume de rigueur A New Orleans newspaper’s ball guide says a tuxedo is turned away at those balls. Wrap or bolero jacket Some ball venues are cold, a New Orleans newspaper’s guide warns.
Leave at home 8
No beads picked up off the ground A local’s plea in the visitor bureau’s tips. Catch your own. No costume meant to offend Almost anything goes, a French Quarter guide says, except the truly offensive. No costume too wide for a doorway A French Quarter guide’s test. It should also survive a public restroom. No heels on a parade route The New Orleans visitor bureau strongly advises against them. No high-low hem at a costume de rigueur ball A newspaper’s ball guide says the door turns such dresses away. No shoes you would hate to ruin Puddles and broken beads finish off good shoes, a local warns in the bureau’s tips. No valuables you would mind losing A local’s rule in the visitor bureau’s tips. No white dress at a krewe ball White is for the debutantes, a New Orleans newspaper’s ball guide says.
How this list was compiled
The 56 things to wear or to leave at home, and the line under each, were written for this page on 2026-10-13; no list was copied. The colors and their meanings follow the Rex Organization, the New Orleans parade society that has used purple, green and gold since 1872, on its own traditions page (https://www.rexorganization.com/traditions.htm ), read on 2026-10-13: it says its 1892 parade theme suggested that purple, green and gold stand for justice, faith and power, in that order. The same meanings are given by Mardi Gras New Orleans, a carnival guide (https://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/history/traditions/colors ). Wikipedia, Mardi Gras in New Orleans (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mardi_Gras_in_New_Orleans , read on 2026-10-13), was used for the throws, the glass beads, and when masks and costumes are worn; its sentence on the meanings lists power and faith the other way round, so the parade society’s own page was followed. What to wear follows New Orleans and Company, the city’s visitor bureau, on costume ideas (https://www.neworleans.com/blog/post/mardi-gras-costume-ideas/ ) and in its tips from locals (https://www.neworleans.com/events/holidays-seasonal/mardi-gras/mardi-gras-tips-from-nola-locals-what-to-know-before-you-go/ ); a French Quarter visitor guide (https://www.frenchquarter.com/how-to-dress-for-mardi-gras/ ); and the answers to common questions of the Galveston, Texas, festival (https://www.mardigrasgalveston.com/faqs/ ). The ball rows follow two parade clubs’ own pages, the Krewe of Endymion (https://endymion.org/endymion-extravaganza/ ) and the Krewe of Orpheus (https://www.kreweoforpheus.com/orpheuscapade ), and a ball dress guide by the society writer of The Times-Picayune, a New Orleans newspaper (https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/mardi_gras/what-to-wear-to-your-first-mardi-gras-ball/article_b26574d5-344b-5a55-97df-055a1409fd79.html ). No host of a luncheon publishes a dress code that was found, so the lunch rows rest on what the two New Orleans guides call the least a person wears. Your own invitation comes first. Left out on purpose: brands, shops by name, prices and anything about body shape. Licence: own work
How it works What should I wear to a Mardi Gras party? Purple, green and gold, with a mask or beads, and a costume if the party calls for one. These 56 things follow New Orleans guides and two krewes’ ball pages.
Read the full guide
Where purple, green and gold come from
The three colors come from one parade. The Rex organization of New Orleans has used purple, green and gold since its first parade in 1872, when its proclamations asked for balconies to be draped in them. By its own account the reason was never made clear: purple suits royalty and gold a crown, and rules of heraldry may have played a part. Masks and costumes keep a different calendar. In New Orleans they are seldom worn in public before Fat Tuesday itself, Wikipedia notes, except at parties, which makes a party the right place for a mask on any day of the season.
Traveling with a costume? A French Quarter guide’s two checks: the headdress fits in the suitcase and the mask arrives in one piece.
Questions and answers
What should I wear to a Mardi Gras themed luncheon?
Ordinary lunch clothes with the colors added. The New Orleans visitor bureau calls purple, green and gold about the bare minimum, and a Mardi Gras polo or rugby shirt the way locals do it. A headband, a boa or one strand of beads is enough.
What do the Mardi Gras colors mean?
Purple stands for justice, green for faith and gold for power. The meanings came twenty years after the colors: the theme of the 1892 Rex parade, The Symbolism of Colors, suggested them.
What should I wear to Mardi Gras in New Orleans?
Shoes you can walk in all day and can afford to ruin, and layers. A French Quarter guide puts February anywhere from 48 to 65 degrees. Add a raincoat and rain boots if rain is forecast, and a costume on Fat Tuesday.
What do you wear to a Mardi Gras ball?
Formal dress, and the invitation says how formal. Two krewes’ own ball pages require a tuxedo and a floor-length gown. Where an invitation says costume de rigueur, a New Orleans newspaper’s guide says that means white tie and tails for men.