Party bus and minibus rental for Mardi Gras 2027
Mardi Gras is the best party in New Orleans, and the hardest time of year to move a group around the city. A party bus or minibus rental with a driver, planned around the parade routes, gets your friends, family or bachelorette crew to the action and back.
The 2027 dates, and what is still tentative
Carnival season opens on Twelfth Night, January 6, 2027, and Fat Tuesday is February 9, 2027. Treat the 2027 parade schedule as tentative, because that is how it is labelled. As it stands, Saturday, February 6 brings Endymion to Mid-City and Sunday, February 7 brings Bacchus Uptown, both tentative, and Zulu and Rex parade on the morning of Fat Tuesday. We will plan with you around the published schedule and adjust if it changes.
Dates and venue
- Parade routes citywide (Uptown/St. Charles, French Quarter, Mid-City)
- Fat Tuesday: February 9, 2027; parade season Jan 6-Feb 9, 2027 (tentative)
Getting close to the routes without getting stuck behind them
On parade days, roads along and across a route close while it rolls, and a vehicle on the wrong side can be stuck for hours. The trick is to be dropped off well before the parade, on the side of the route you want to end up on, and agree a pickup point a few blocks away. The French Quarter adds its own limits: buses must stay on signed routes and loading is capped at 15 minutes.
Which vehicle for a Mardi Gras group
A Sprinter van with up to 19 passengers is the most flexible choice, and it stays under the Garden District's 20-seat limit for buses. A minibus seats roughly 16 to 19, also under the limit, and suits a family or group on the main parade days. A party bus brings the celebration on board between stops, but check the seating and the open-container rules with us before the day.
Questions
When is Fat Tuesday 2027?
February 9, 2027. The 2027 parade schedule, including Endymion and Bacchus dates, is still labelled tentative.
Can a party bus drive along the parade route?
No. Roads on the route close during parades. The driver drops you nearby before it starts and collects you at an agreed point afterward.
How early should we book for Mardi Gras?
As soon as you know your dates. The parade weekend and Fat Tuesday draw on the same local vehicles, and you are only charged once you accept the quote.
Cities
Planning a Mardi Gras group trip?
Tell us your dates, headcount, where you are staying and which parades you want to see, and we will quote a vehicle with a driver.
Request a quote or call 15722344442