It's Carnival season, a time of colorful and outrageous festivals and parades. 2009 Carnival (also known as mardi gras, carnaval, carnevale, or karnaval) falls on February 24, but carnival season starts several weeks earlier with masquerade balls and parties, music, and festivals.
I've collected the top carnival and mardi gras pictures, articles and tips from our Travel Guides. Come along with me for a virtual tour of Carnival and mardi gras festivals. Let the good times roll!
Pictures of Carnival Parades and Festivals:
- Carnaval Samba Parade in Rio de Janeiro - one of the greatest shows on earth features colorful floats and thousands of singers and dancers
- New Orleans Mardi Gras Photos
- Trinidad and Tobago Carnival Photos
- Patras, Greece Carnival Images
- Venice Carnevale Mask Pictures
- Quebec City Winter Carnival Photos
- What is Carnevale or Carnival?
- Mardi Gras for Beginners
- Mardi Gras French Vocabulary
- Carnival and Mardi Gras dates through 2020
- Plan Your Trip to Mardi Gras in New Orleans
- 2009 New Orleans Mardi Gras Parade Schedule
- Family Friendly Mardi Gras in New Orleans
- Mardi Gras Celebrations in the Southeast US
- Cajun Mardi Gras Celebrations
- Where to Celebrate Mardi Gras in New England
- Mardi Gras Weekends at Universal Orlando
- Carnaval in Nice, France - a top place in France to cut loose, eat, hear music, and see unique performances
- Karneval or Fasching in Germany - Read about the famous Rose Monday parades, women cutting ties, and the Council of the Eleven.
- Carnevale Festivals in Italy - from Venice and Viareggio to Sicily and Sardinia, Italy has many unique carnevale festivals
- Carnival in Greece - Greek carnival or apokrias is on a different schedule but the spirit is the same
- Scandinavia's Largest Carnival in Aalborg - Northern Europe's largest carnival is in Aalborg, Denmark, where cold weather and hot celebrations meet
- Maslenitsa Festival in Russia - Celebrate Russian Pancake Week with pancakes (said to represent the sun), competitions, concerts, and other entertainment.
- Caribbean Carnival Calendar - Where to celebrate carnival in the Caribbean
- Ponce Carnival in Puerto Rico - the island's biggest annual celebration highlighted by the colorful, folkloric, costumed figures known as vejigantes.
- Mexico Celebrates Carnaval - the biggest Carnivals usually begin with the Quema del Mal Humor, or burning of ill humor.
- Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras - culminates in a glittering nighttime mardi gras parade said to be the biggest outdoor nighttime parade in the world.
- Quebec City Winter Carnival Guide - the world's biggest winter carnival
- Quebec Carnival - family events
If these aren't enough parties for you, check out the book World Party, reviewed by our guide to Honeymoons and Romantic Destinations. Susan says "covering gatherings that range from the sublime — such as Carnival in Venice — to the ridiculous (that would be Spain's free-for-all La Tomatina food fight), World Party: the Rough Guide to the World's Best Festivals provides dozens of reasons to get going and join the fun."
Photo of San Francisco Carnaval © James Martin, Europe Travel
Thanks for the post, I’ve never been to Mardi Gras and my brief visit to the French Quarter years ago left me with a bad impression (http://blogs.pioneerlocal.com/religion). Glad to hear there is more to this celebration and in more places than New Orleans.