Celebrations begin quite early on Mardi Gras Day and continue all day and through the night. Depending on the Lenten season and ultimately the date of Easter, Mardi Gras can fall on any Tuesday between February 3 and March 9. Uptown, the Zulu parade rolls first, with the Rex parade following immediately after. Both end on Canal Street which is at the border of the French Quarter. A number of smaller parades with “truck floats” follow the Rex parade down the tree-lined streets.
Numerous smaller parades and walking clubs also parade around New Orleans, featuring costumed members, floats, bands and dance routines. The Jefferson City Buzzards, the Lyons Club, the Irish Channel Corner Club, Pete Fountain’s Half Fast Walking Club and the KOE all start earlier in the day Uptown and make their way toward the French Quarter. At the other end of the old city, the Society of Saint Anne travels from the Bywater through Marigny and the French Quarter, to finally meet Rex at Canal Street. The always-entertaining Pair-O-Dice Tumblers journey from bar to bar in Marigny and the French Quarter from noon to dusk. Various groups of Mardi Gras Indians, divided into uptown and downtown tribes, parade in their traditional costume and finery.