Mardi Gras is a festival that takes place in Orlando from February to March or April. They consider it to be very similar to Carnival in Brazil. Because, it has almost everything that the holiday has, including floats and lots of music.
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What is Mardi Gras?
It is an event with lots of fun for all the public to enjoy, in addition to remembering Carnival. So, it is common for Brazilians to love this festival that happens every year. Thus, it is very complete and everything it has in it is divided between:
- Live shows;
- Cajun cuisine;
- Night parades.
It lasts for a long time, so no one misses out on this amazing celebration. Therefore, it starts in the second week of February and stays until April. However, there may be special times for presentations and they do not occur every day.
Where does it happen?
It always stays at Universal Studios, in the city of Orlando, Florida. In addition, the place is part of a complex called Universal Orlando Resort. In this way, it is located alongside the Islands of Adventures and Volcano Bay parks.
All three form the second largest park complex in the city. With that, first and foremost, Walt Disney World continues to build on its success. Above all, the environment also has several rides and attractions, with moments from Hollywood cinemas.
How much is Mardi Gras worth?
To go to the festival itself, you don't need to pay any extra tickets.
However, it is necessary buy the tickets to enter Universal Studios.
So, the values can vary a lot, but the favorite is the one that gives you the chance to spend some time there:
- Visits to two parks, for three days: US$ 293 for adults and US$ 264 for children;
- Three parks, for five days: US$ 324 to US$ 334.
When converting to reais, the price can be around R$ 1.6 thousand. However, some passes allow you to stay for 14 days on site. In this way, they cost almost the same amount and provide access to all parts of the complex.
How to buy?
During the festival of Mardi Gras It is interesting to buy online. After all, they give a lot of promotions to spend more time in the parks. So, it is possible to enjoy the parties for much longer, as they usually have huge queues.
Another possibility
You can buy right at the Universal Studios box office too and pay less. So, you can spend around US$ 59, or R$ 300. But, the packages may not be so good and only give you one day to enjoy.
Mardi Gras 2022 Schedule
This year, there will be several shows for the public to enjoy, on the Music Plaza stage. With that, it has more than 12 artists to make the presentations. Plus, they're all in a Hollywood Bowl-inspired outdoor location, so the list goes:
- February: Sugar Ray, Diana Ross, Barenaked Ladies, Styx, Jon Pardi;
- March: LL Cool J feat. DJ Z-Trip, Marshmello, Lee Brice, Becky G, Khalid, Seal, Gavin DeGraw, The Revivalists, Jimmie Allen and Jason Derulo.
The shows take place from February 5th to March 27th. However, this does not mean that the festival will end on this date. Thus, it continues until around April 24th, with all its attractions, with the exception of the presentations.
Who participated in past events?
Every year Universal announces who will perform Mardi Gras that year. So, it already had several famous personalities to be a part of the amazing festival. So it featured very big people like Jessie J, 3 Doors Down and Adam Lambert.
News
In 2022, in addition to having Diana Ross, there will still be performances straight from Bourbon Street. With that, they will have exhibitions every day throughout the park. There will be a lot of sounds that come from New Orleans to Universal Studios.
Mardi Gras attractions
The year 2022 couldn't be any different without the festival's amazing activities. As every year, there is much to see and be impressed with. With that, you can see below everything that will be incredible for that date:
Concerts
As always, there will be many performances to see your idols there.
In this way, it has a very complete schedule of shows from February to March to see everything. Even Jason Derulo and Seal will be there in 2022.
parades
For the theme ?Planet Mardi Gras” there will be six floats full of details. Plus, cosmic inspiration will make them all shine, with:
- Comets;
- Rockets;
- Extraterrestrials.
They will join the traditional series of other New Orleans-inspired cars. Above all, several artists will be together wearing very colorful and bright clothes.
Food and Drinks at Mardi Gras
What's not missing is something tasty to eat throughout the event. Thus, some award-winning Universal chefs will complete the festival with delicacies.
So the idea is that they connect to various parts of the world.
Visitors who will be there on the date will go on a gastronomic journey.
Then you can try special New Orleans cuisines, for example. With that, what you can find on the menu are wonders like:
- Crawfish Boil and Beignets
- A sweet and spicy noodle soup the Southeast Coconut Curry Shrimp Laksa;
- Vegan samosa with spicy Indian green chutney;
- Sausage potatoes known as salchipapas from Central America.
Discover the drinks menu
A punch to remember New Orleans might be just what you need to get started. Thus, it is a mixture of Light and Dark Rum, passion fruit puree, orange juice, lemon and grenadine.
In addition, there is a delicious emerald mojito made with green tea.
For those who want to try it, there's the Goombay Smash, a classic from the Bahamas.
With that, it has dark rum, lime, pineapple and orange juices along with Coco Lopes cream.
Finally, there is the Cape Guayaba, with guava juice, lemon, fresh mint and New Amsterdam Vodka.
Learn more dishes
For experienced visitors, there's the Chicken, Andouille and Shrimp Jambalaya at Universal's Aventura Hotel. As well as, King Cake Pancakes at Loews Royal Pacific Resort and Shrimp Po? Boys at Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort.
How to know where to eat?
Cuisine inspired by Mardi Gras will also be in places like the Universal Citywalk. So some of those places are Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen as well as Pat O'Brien's and Voodoo Doughnut.
Orlando hotels will join the festival with special menus at their resorts. So one of the wonderful recipes to eat will be New Orleans BBQ Shrimp & Dirty Rice. that will be in Universal's Endless Summer Resort ? Surfside Inn and Suites.
How to participate in Mardi Gras
It is very important to know that everything for the festival has the right time. Above all, which can change each year, according to the defined schedule. So, these are the times when you have a chance to really start:
- Shows: 20:30h;
- Party: 5pm.
When buying a ticket to enter the park, it is already possible to be part of the event. However, food and drink restaurants are not included. That is, you still have to pay for them, even with packages of passes you buy.
Pay less and eat more
There are more than 50 items to be able to taste all the delicacies of this year. Thus, there is a way to have the experience of feeding yourself as much as possible. So this is an opportunity for those who like to try everything.
The Food and Beverage Card and Lanyard is what gives you this great chance. That's because, they work as a gift card at Universal Studios and you can buy them for US$ 65. Thus, it will be worth US$ 75 and the US$ 120 will serve up to a total of US$ 150.
How to get one?
During all the Mardi Gras it is possible to redeem your card at any food outlet. Most importantly, the benefit does not expire and there is no cap on how much guests can purchase. So, just enjoy the novelty available throughout the party.
More information, dates and times
There is a complete list to know when it is time to go see the parade.
In addition, it is still possible to see the available places on the site to see the places.
With that, the days to see much more and not miss anything from the event are:
- 5:15 pm: February 25;
- 6:15 pm: February 6, 7, 9-11, 13-17, 22-24, 28 and March 1-3, 7-9, March 29;
- 7:15 pm: February 8, 18, 27 and March 4, 10, 11;
- 7:30 pm: February 21, 14-17, 21-24, 28, 30, March 31, April 3-7, 9-24;
- 7:45 pm: 5, 12, 19, 20, 26 February, 5, 6, 12, 13, 18-20, 25-27 March.
Tips for enjoying the event
There's so much to do that you won't miss anything during the entire festival. Especially when planning your entire trip the right way and making an itinerary. Therefore, in order not to have so many worries and problems during the tour:
- See the time and day of the shows you want to watch;
- Always arrive as early as possible, due to queues;
- Know that some presentations may be delayed and don't worry.
food and drinks
Don't miss the food and drink stalls in the park. In addition, the official website of Universal Studios provides a map so as not to get lost. This way, you can see the route of the parades, places to eat and where the celebration is taking place.
Participate in the floats
It is possible to visit these attractions of the Mardi Gras while throwing beads to the rest of the audience. But, the number of places per night has a certain limit, so you need to be quick. For that, go to Animal Actors On Location! inside the Universal Resort.
There they will give you all the details, however you need to be over 18 years old. In particular, minors need permission from parents or guardians. Finally, it is not allowed to eat or drink during the entire parade.
Is it worth participating in Mardi Gras?
The party is amazing for everyone who decides to go celebrate there
. Especially because of the delicious food they offer and the shows. Further. for the chance to see some of his idols when they show up there.
You can make a collection with the thrown beads.
That is, the people on the floats pass by throwing them and it is possible to catch everything. Plus, it's always a different adventure every day, always with something new to see.
The park
For those who bought the ticket, know that there is a lot to do.
Since the events have a certain time to start, there are other attractions. So, all you can see to enjoy until the time comes are:
- Rollercoaster;
- Simpsons and Transformers simulators;
- Attraction of Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, from Despicable Me;
- Fast & Furious – Superchanged.
It is worth remembering that this is where you can find activities related to Harry Potter. However, most of them are on Island's Adventure and for that reason, it's worth a package deal. That way, it gives you the chance to enjoy all the parks whenever you want.
Hogwarts express
This is a tour that only those who have a park to park ticket can go on. Thus, you win the chance to go to Hogsmeade, the city of the Harry Potter saga.
So, in addition to being a great opportunity to enjoy the parks, it has the feeling of being on the train.
Mardi Gras store
The Float Factory Warehouse is the way to take a piece of the biggest festival home. Since, this is the new Tribute Store theme, which always comes back with something new. In addition, it has four rooms to explore and learn about the creative process of the floats.
Visitors take an incredible journey through the interior of the store to see everything about creation. In this way, what can be found inside is a worthwhile experience:
- Candy;
- pencil sketches;
- Some decorations used in parades;
- A full-size festival float.
items to buy
Apart from the great tour to look at the materials, costumes and models, there is even more.
So, for those who like souvenirs, this is the right place. Therefore, it has several articles related to the festival Mardi Gras.
There are T-shirts and masks, in addition to the famous beads, the hallmark of the whole party.
So, even if you can't pick up the pebbles at the shows, you can buy them. With that, there is no shortage of options to have what to take home after an unforgettable trip.
Get ready Mardi Gras
Those who couldn't attend the event in 2022, don't even worry. That's because you'll have enough time to plan until next year. Since, the event takes place every year and always has something different.
The start dates don't usually change, so it always happens in February. Above all, the list of shows is only announced when the next party is approaching. Therefore, make your vacation itinerary to go enjoy several days of presentations.
Common questions
It's a party very similar to Carnival in Brazil, so there are costumes. There are still floats, food, shows and lots of music to enjoy the event.
Even if it only starts from March 1st, there have been several parades since January. So, there are attractions at different points to warm up until the festival is complete.
This is the largest street carnival in the United States and can be seen in New Orleans. But, there is an event at Universal Studios Florida that takes place from February to March or April.
