You don’t need to live in New Orleans to have a good time during the Mardi Gras season.
Lawn Love conducted a study in the summer of 2022 that ranked the Top 10 best places to celebrate Mardi Gras outside of New Orleans.
The study ranked 200 U.S. cities from best to worst (1-200) based on their overall scores (out of 100 points), averaged across weighted metrics.
The sample of 200 cities included 196 of the biggest, plus four cities that are significant to U.S. Mardi Gras due to the large size of their celebrations: Biloxi, Mississippi; Galveston, Texas; Lafayette and Pensacola, Florida.
Those who conducted the study looked for cities with plenty of Mardi Gras events to attend, bars and Cajun and Creole restaurants, among six total factors.
The six factors were:
Partying
- Mardi Gras Events and Festivals
- Weight: 3
- Party Supply Stores per Square Mile
- Weight: 1
- Metaphysical Stores per Square Mile
- Weight: 1
Eating and Drinking
- Establishments Serving Cajun and Creole Food per Square Mile
- Weight: 2
- Bars per Square Mile
- Weight: 2
Community Interest
- Google Search Volume for “Mardi Gras” and “Fat Tuesday” Over Past 12 Months
- Weight: 1
Baton Rouge came in second on the list while Metairie was third.
According to the findings, Baton Rouge and Metairie rose in the ranks because of their abundant Carnival events, food, and libations. (Festivities might spill out from the French Quarter into Metairie, but the New Orleans suburb has parades of its own.)
Mardi Gras was brought to America in the 17th century when French explorers colonized the Louisiana region. Mobile (No. 7) was the first capital of French Louisiana, which is why the Southern city still has a Fat Tuesday of its own.
Top 10 cities to celebrate Mardi Gras outside of NOLA
| OVERALL RANK | City | Overall Score | Partying Rank | Eating and Drinking Rank | Community Interest Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Louis, MO | 49.76 | 1 | 6 | 32 |
| 2 | Baton Rouge, LA | 43.39 | 2 | 10 | 27 |
| 3 | Metairie, LA | 39.23 | 9 | 2 | 61 |
| 4 | New York, NY | 35.20 | 4 | 17 | 2 |
| 5 | San Francisco, CA | 31.81 | 29 | 1 | 22 |
| 6 | Miami, FL | 27.86 | 14 | 5 | 6 |
| 7 | Mobile, AL | 27.03 | 3 | 104 | 44 |
| 8 | Dallas, TX | 26.23 | 5 | 84 | 12 |
| 9 | Las Vegas, NV | 24.85 | 38 | 19 | 1 |
| 10 | Houston, TX | 24.78 | 6 | 46 | 8 |
Leave a Reply