Carnival Season typically starts after Epiphany on Jan. 6 and culminates on Ash Wednesday, which falls on March 5 this year.

Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is a day of indulgence that marks the end of Carnival. It's immediately followed by Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Lent is a 40-day season of fasting, excluding Sundays, that is observed by Christians, and leads up to Easter Sunday.

What date is Fat Tuesday? What is the meaning and why do we celebrate? Here's what we know from paczkis to Holy Week.

Previewing 30 New Orleans and Jefferson Parish parades with themes, royalty, special guests, throws, maps and more.

Fat Tuesday, the day before the start of Lent, is celebrated as Mardi Gras in New Orleans and Carnival in Brazil, but you don’t need to travel to get a taste of the fun.

Carnival Season typically starts after Epiphany on Jan. 6 and culminates on Ash Wednesday, which falls on March 5 this year.

Here is a schedule of parades in Orleans and Jefferson parishes, and corresponding parade route maps are below. UPDATE: rescheduled from Sunday, Feb. 23 Femme Fatale 5:30 p.m. Uptown 1 Carrollton 6:15 p.m. Uptown 2 King Arthur 6:30 p.m. Uptown 2 Druids 6:15 p.m. Uptown 1 Babylon 5:30 p.m. Uptown 2

While New Orleans and St. Louis celebrate the end of the pre-Lenten season for weeks, our events are limited to a few hours. And although the actual holiday of Mardi Gras — Fat Tuesday in French — is Tuesday, March 4, the biggest celebration in KC will take place three days earlier.