Mardi Gras World-Riverfront

Coming to NOLA off season of Mardi Gras? Well don’t fret because you can still see some of the floats (well parts of it) at the Mardi Gras World Riverfront. Be sure to catch the free shuttle (to save on parking) at 1 of many pick up stops, including The French Quarter (
). You have to call ahead of time in order to get a shuttle (504−475−2053). But you only need to call the day of when you want to get a shuttle at one of the many stops.
Anyways, after we took the shuttle ride (a very friendly driver), we were dropped off right in front of the entrance. We came inside and purchased our tour at the register. Adults are $ 19.95, Seniors & Students (with ID) are $ 15.95 and children are $ 12.95 then waited for our tour to begin.
The tour last about 1.5 hour. The first 20 minutes are spent watching a video about the history of Mardi Gras (which I never knew about Mardi Gras and just thought it was just one big party drinking fest with elaborate costumes. well it’s that too, lol). Then afterwards, everyone is welcomed to eat a piece of king cake. Then you are lead around one of the warehouses to see the different pieces of the floats. You even get to see some people working on current floats for next year (which is nice to get a sneak peak for next year’s festivities).
Our tour guide, Issac, was friendly and very informative. He had a lot of energy and excited to share this information to a group of tourists.
After we learned more about the history of Mardi Gras, about specific pieces of floats (and how they can reuse float pieces) and the different types of material used to make the floats (each float is either made of styro foam or fiberglass), the tour was over. But we were more than welcomed to stay and walk back from the beginning to take more photos (even better when everyone has dispersed and won’t get in your photo).
Although the tour maybe a little pricey, I still think it was worth going to. I honestly don’t have any plans to ever come to NOLA and check out Mardi Gras live (incredibly large crowds like that kind of make me anxious and stressed out). This is truly the next best thing (besides watching videos or on TV). And what more, is to see the actual pieces of the float up close and in person.

If you are into how the floats are built for Mardi Gras this is the museum for you. This museum is focused more on float building than the historical aspect of Mardi Gras. At the beginning of the tour you watch a short film about the history of Mardi Gras in New Orleans. This is followed with a tour through the warehouse where the floats are built. You will observe various stations where the workers are actually building the floats. This is followed with plenty of photo opportunities of past floats that are stored in the warehouse.
The warehouse is located directly west of the convention center and along the river. We walked from the Central Business District. This might be to much walking for most people.
Note: The Mardi Gras Museum in Mobile Alabama is much smaller but gave a much better historical perspective on Mardi Gras.

This place is freaking awesome! I can honestly say that this is an amazing and affordable tour, with a free shuttle to and from to boot! We were in a couple Gasparilla krewes in Tampa so we know a little bit about krewes and we know a lot of the history of Mardi Gras. Some of our friends went here before and said it was worth the trip and boy was it!
Let’s start with the shuttle service. It is free. Free. There are two shuttles, one that runs a Canal/​downtown loop and one that runs a quarter loop. You go to one of the stops, call them and someone will be there within 15 – 20 min. Our shuttle driver was super friendly, we really enjoyed talking to him and on the way back he took us closer to where our hotel was (slightly off his loop, so nice!)
Once at Mardi Gras World, you enter this giant warehouse through a gift shop. The tour runs about an hour and a half. It starts with a short video, which was very informative, and then you go on a guided tour through the warehouse. Artists are there working on props for the upcoming year as well. A lot of the props get reused, or stored so you get to see a lot of different things, some in different stages of readiness. Also, the Krewe of Orpheus keeps some of their floats there so you get a good idea of the scale of their floats and the amount of work that goes into it.
I was amazed to learn they change their float decorations every year. In Tampa, most of the krewes have their floats made, or make them themselves, and then don’t redo them until several years. They replace lights and things when they wear out but not a total overhaul.
When you are finished touring and spending time in the gift shop, just let them know which shuttle you want to take and they will take you back to where you need to be.
I was really impressed with this tour.

Mardi Gras World is an awesome tourist attraction in New Orleans, Louisiana. Guests can tour the working warehouse where floats are made for Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans. Mardi Gras World is located on the Mississippi River next to the Morial Convention Center, and also hosts private parties and corporate events.
Photo opportunities abound at Mardi Gras World! Not only can you watch people making the parade floats but all the props and figures from previous parades are out on display. Everything is so big and colorful! This is really a «must see» spot in New Orleans! They will even pick you up, and drop you off, right at your hotel!

It didn’t blow me away but it’s definitely worth a visit. There is a 20 minute video detailing the history and a 10 – 20 minute behind the scenes tour. Great for photo ops. Look into the free shuttles they offer.

Definitely disappointed in the tour and would not recommend it for the full price of $ 20 per person. We managed to get a living social deal for $ 20 for two, so definitely check those out if you’re interested in this.
I liked the beginning part of the tour where we’re able to dress up and take pictures with some float pieces – that was fun and you can really see people go at it, haha (myself included). The next part is where we all sit down to watch a 15 min video, which seems like it was taken off youtube or something. I would have liked a little more history on Mardi Gras, how it started and the importance of the celebration. This is the only part of the tour where they touch on the history of Mardi Gras, and I felt there was very little substance about the culture and historic significance.
After eating some king cake, we then walk into the warehouse (which has no AC. there are huge fans though) to see how the float pieces are made. That was cool seeing actual artists (there were two of them) working on the float pieces for the next parade… we were able to have a little sneak peak! After, they take you to an even bigger part of the warehouse where you can see where all of their float pieces and floats are stored. It was beautiful to see all of them in detail with lovely colors, etc… but the excitement and wow factor got old very quickly.
I just felt everything fell short. We would not have known that every float has a bathroom, or that the parade lasts 5 – 6 miles, or how the theme of the floats are determined… if not for us tourists asking questions! If we didn’t ask these questions, we would not have known any of these little fun facts that I thought should have been brought up by the tour. Very disappointed.
Just a note: Their free shuttle is very handy, and I recommend taking their shuttle if you do choose to visit here. The shuttle stops going into the French Quarter starting at around 4pm due to heavy traffic, so plan wisely!

I am beyond fortunate that I stumbled upon Mardi Gras World! I would’ve been sad learning about it later on after a trip to New Orleans. It was a perfect addition to a fun trip. Colorful floats, knowledgeable staff members. great location & affordable… Amazing tour all in all! The free shuttle to/​from our hotel was big plus!
I recommend anyone who is visiting New Orleans to go to Mardi Gras World

This place is a must see if you’re in NOLA! I decided to check this place out during my second visit to The Big Easy, and I am thrilled that I did! I’ve always been interested in Mardi Gras, so coming here was a no-​brainer.
As soon as you walk in the building, you are greeted by larger than life statues. Marilyn Monroe, Spongebob, Santa… they’re all there in statue form. This really sets the stage for the rest of the tour. Tickets for the warehouse tour are purchased in the gift shop, and that’s also where tours begin. The tour tickets are actually Mardi Gras beads. I found that to be a really unique touch! Love it! Tours are $ 20 a person, so as far as affordability is concerned, it’s really not that bad. There are coupons that for the tours that can be found in visitors guides. So if you’re thinking about visiting, be on the look out for some coupons and save yourself some money.
The tour actually began with the opportunity to try on some fun Mardi Gras costume pieces and take photos with some scenery. Super, super fun! Next, we watched a 20 minute video on the history of Mardi Gras, and how Mardi Gras functions today. The best part? You get king cake! Who doesn’t like King Cake?! It was scrumptious. Next, we were led into the warehouse were we saw all the artists working on pieces for next year’s Mardi Gras. It was really incredible to watch the amazing artists at work, and to learn how everything used during Mardi Gras is designed and created. After the tour is over, guests are allowed to tour the warehouse at their own leisure, which I thought was a nice added touch.
Overall, it’s a really great experience and fun for the whole family. A definite must-​see!

Better than expected! Giant warehouse with a guided tour that was interesting and informative and, well FUN!!!
Never would have guessed at the amount of preparation that goes into the floats and the process of building them. Old school and some new techniques combined!
They also give you some history of the parades and the organizations that support and execute them. Way more to it than I would have ever dreamed of!

Mardi Gras World is a must do if you ever had a question regarding the whole Mardi Gras Celebration! Now some reviews have stated to not pay the money for the tour. I strongly disagree, as our host couldn’t have been any more informative, nicer, or interactive with the paid guests! You’ll see a short film on the history of the parades, get a slice of King Cake, and the answers to a ton of questions as they take you through the monstrous working warehouse! You’ll see everything up close, and never rushed to leave after the tour is over. In fact, they encourage you to explore the warehouse after the nearly one hour tour. You’ll better understand the costs of the floats, who’s allowed to be in a parade, and where all of the parades take place! They even offer free pickup from most hotels in downtown New Orleans!

This place is definitely worth going to, but you can explore the warehouse on your own for free. It’s not worth $ 20 for the guided tour.
It’s really interesting to see all the floats, to see how they’re made, and to actually watch the artists creating them!

It’s Mardi Gras all year long at Mardi Gras World. Embark on a festive journey at this warehouse where you can get a behind-​the-​scenes look at the making of Mardi Gras floats and costumes. In addition to getting close and personal with the colorful floats, visitors can also watch a short video about the history of this beloved festival, get a chance to don authentic Mardi Gras costumes, and have a bite of the famous King Cake.

My family and I had Mardi Gras World on our itinerary as part of our recent NOLA vacation. It was nice to find a family-​oriented activity that didn’t involve alcohol or gambling. I think kids would enjoy this since there are many colorfully designed floats they can look at (take a look at the pictures below). For adults, I don’t think you should come here expecting too much but it was enjoyable nonetheless.
How to Get There (free shuttle to/​from):
They offer a free shuttle to transport you to and from the location which is a bit of a ways away from the main part of the city, but walkable if you’re willing to make the trek; there are some major roads to cross but I saw people were able to do it. There are several places the shuttle will pick you up and drop you off, which you can find on their website (a number of spots in the French Quarters, and on or slightly off of Poydras and Canal St). **TIP** You need to call ahead (504−507−9315) for the complimentary shuttle as they won’t go to the hotel/​pick-​up location on a constant basis. I suggest calling as you’re walking to one of their stops so you don’t get stuck waiting for 10+ minutes like we did. Your hotel concierge should also be able to make that pick-​up call for you.
What Do You Do:
Mardi Gras World is a massive warehouse that stores the props/​floats that were used in the previous Mardi Gras parades as well as those that will be used for the upcoming parades and celebrations. You pay for a tour of the facility: it starts off with a chance to try on some costumes and take pictures with the props in a «theater room» before watching a quick video about the family business/​history and culture of Mardi Gras/​how the props are made etc. and then eating a slice of «King Cake» (Danish pastry with colored icing on top); finally, a tour guide walks you through the warehouse and describes some of the floats/​props, what the artists do to make them, and other good tid-​bits of info. If you’re lucky (like we were), you get to see an artist actually working on a prop — we saw an artist paper mache’ing a prop. At the end, you are permitted to wander around all of the massive floats and take as many pictures as you want with them! There’s no time limit so spend as much time as you want!

Came her for a company event and it was amazing. It was 2 weeks before Mardi Gras and all the floats do the Orpheus parade were set up and it was awesomeness it’s a great space to rent out for any event. You can bring in food, alcohol, a
Band etc. totally worth the money. I’d love to come back. Oh. The tour is amazing as well telling you all about each Krewe and their float!

This place is a great event venue. I have been for fund-​raisers to mardi gras balls and everytime that i have been i have had a great time. Every event can have its own feel due to the decorations at Mardi-​gras world. They appear very versatile in hosting any kind of event that you would like to attend or to throw. Highly reccomended

Honestly you need to go here if you visit New Orleans, if you don’t you miss part of the history of NO with its parades. Its an interesting tour where they tell you a lot about the parade history, the work in progress is fantastic to tour, nice bright colors, even kids would like this and its interesting for adults.

On our recent holiday trip to New Orleans, we walked all the way down here pass the convention center to its Southeast. This place is in a giant warehouse.
When you first walk in, you pass a few example floats before you reach another set of doors which lead you into the main gift shop and meeting area. After we paid a fee for the tour, we were rallied together as a group and brought into a Mardi Gras themed decorated room with seating, costumes, and a large TV. We were given approximately five minutes to pick out whatever we please from the costume/​Hat racks. This was so that we could take pictures in front of the artifacts throughout the room before the video began. After we were done doing that, we had to watch a 15 minute video about everything Mardi Gras (history, Krewes, floats, The various parades around this time of year, etc.). After the video, we were each given the opportunity to have a piece of king cake. If you don’t know what king cake is in the New Orleans culture, I would recommend that you Google it.
After eating some cake, that’s when the real tour begin. We got to see a sneak peek of the upcoming year’s Mardi Gras at different levels of the float making process. There were a few artists already working on some parts.
Everything was so beautifully decorated. It was worth taking a lot of pictures. Towards the end of the tour, we were given free reign to roam around and take pictures by the floats. With some of them, you can get on and take your pictures.
Since this location is relatively desolate from the rest of active parts of the city. There is a free shuttle that comes by at specific time intervals to pick people up and drop them off at various points in the French quarter.
Though this may seem relatively touristy to some people, I enjoyed it and recommend people to paying a visit here at least once.

The price seems a little steep and it probably is for what you see. I think you should do it however. Our tour guide was a really nice woman that was super patient and very knowledgeable about the float company and the Mardi Gras parade history. Not being from New Orleans, I did not know anything about the parades and the different Krewes. Now I do. I found the tour to be fascinating and I learned a lot. They reuse the pieces from previous parades and reshape them. Everything is done by hand. I assumed that by now most, if not all, would be created by computer. Nope. I don’t want to spoil it for you so I won’t say anything else. There is a shuttle that is included in the ticket price that will take you back to the French Quarter. We walked there. It’s too far. On paper it looks like it’s not, it is.

The free shuttle ride is a nice touch and once the tour got under way we enjoyed the artistry portion. Overall I think it was a little pricey and gimmicky but when in New Orleans…

Mardi Gras World
At port authority, riverfront. But be not confused — they transport you to/​from FREE. Tours start, according to their website, every ½ hour. $ 20 adults, age 2 – 11 $ 13, seniors $ 16.
Tour takes about an hour & is fun, informative.
You enter and are given time to chose a costume & take pictures with various props, backdrops. Then you view a short film & eat «King Cake». Delish!
From there the tour goes through a series of workshops so you get an idea of how «props», as they call the floats, are made. You can stay as long as you like to wander the tour area of floats, etc. pictures really say it all.
I had no expectations, & enjoyed myself. Hubby did too.

Mardi Grad World is a definite must if you are looking to learn more about the parades, the food, and culture around Mardi Gras.
The tour starts with you being able to put on some of the actual parade garments, which are very colorful and flashy, and taking pictures around some of the stand alone parade float pieces. They give you about 10 minutes to do this, which is more than enough time to snap a picture of you looking ridiculous and having fun.
Then they show you a 15 minute parade video which drops some pretty cool facts about the history of Mardi Gras in NOLA and what it takes to put on the 50 parades. There are some slow parts to the video but overall it’s educational and easy to follow.
Then you are served traditional King Cake as your tour guide goes into further details about the Krewes and the parades.
After that you get to walk around one of the warehouses and watch the artists at work. This is by far the coolest part of the tour. You can see the different stages of making the figurines/​overall parade float from start to finish. It truly is an amazing process to see. The tour guide provides little tid bits here and there but basically you are free to walk around and look at everything and take pictures of everything, which is great!
The tour itself isn’t the best thing I’ve ever been to, but seeing and learning how the parade floats are made is so fascinating. I would recommend this to anyone traveling to NOLA who wants to learn and see the beautiful parade floats for Mardi Gras.

Not bad for my first and closest to Mardi Gras experience! I honestly thought it was going to be boring but we had so much fun! Tour consists of a short film about the history of Mardi Gras, they will let you wear costumes and take pictures, you get to try a King Cake, and go behind-​the-​scenes of the world famous NOLA Mardi Gras! We saw artists working on the 2016 floats already. It made us want to come back for the next mardi gras for sure!

I’ll be honest, at first I came in with low expectations… but after the tour I felt happy I chose to visit.
Sarah was an excellent tour guide. The tour began with a brief video, followed by a complimentary piece of King Cake. Sarah let us try on Mardi Gras costumes and told us the history behind Mardi Gras and some common misconceptions behind it. She then took us in the warehouse and showed us all the floats currently being worked on and some old ones from previous years. She was very professional and informative.
Make sure to pay them a visit during your visit to New Orleans… especially if you visit during an off Mardi Gras time.

Great place and an interesting way to learn about a huge part of NOLA culture! I really enjoyed it and found the entire experience super cool.
My mom and I caught the free shuttle on Canal St and made it just in time for a tour. We paid $ 34 for two because of my student discount and a coupon we found for $ 2 off on a NOLA map. The tour started off with a 15 min video about the history of Mardi Gras and the process of creating the floats. Much more interesting than it sounds. When the video finished, we got to try some complimentary King’s Cake and then headed into the warehouse. The tour guide walked us through each process of making the floats and eventually let us walk around and take pictures. The total tour was an hour long.
I really enjoyed seeing the floats, especially since we didn’t go during Mardi Gras season and had no way of experiencing it otherwise. There’s also a door in the back of the warehouse that allowed us to take some great pictures of the river.

Really fun experience!
If you can’t be in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, this is a must!
You get to see where they make the floats, some of the floats for next year in-​the-​making and past floats in a huge open warehouse with river views!

This business offers a free shuttle pickup in an air conditioned mini bus from many locations. We called about 20 – 30 minutes prior to our desired pick up time. That was great because it would have to far to walk to.
Once you pay for the tour (there is a coupon online offering a couple of dollars off the admission cost, which is $ 20 per adult), you see a 15 minute video about the history of Mardi Gras, then the tour begins.
The very beginning is in the nice air conditioned building, but the floats, as you can imagine, are in the warehouse, which is NOT air conditioned. Just keep that in mind when you decide to go. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable.
We got to see a few areas where the artists work. Very talented people. We were then allowed to walk around and take pictures.
Take a lot of pictures!

This is a must see when you visit NOLA!
Very informative, friendly staff, and you learn the history and meaning of Mardi Gras. You get to see artist in action and you get up close to all the props and floats used in the parades. Best part, we got to taste king cake lol it was delicious!
Only con: Parking is $ 10 but that isn’t the most we’ve paid in Nola

Seriously one of the best tourist attractions we went to. They even have their own bus which will pick you up in designated locations and take you back. The tour is great and you get a great look at the floats and see how they are made. For someone who isn’t likely to be in Nola for Mardi Gras it’s worth a visit. And for those that are interested in the background it’s fascinating as well. Once the one hour tour is over you are free to wander and take photos. Great gift shop along with a place to eat if you are hungry. They even serve cake after the short film and you can try on some costumes. At 19.99 a person it’s not only a great value but a great experience as well.

The tour was pretty lackluster. They leave you in a room to look at some of the float characters that you’ve already seen in the gift shop while waiting for your tour and then you watch a 15 minute film that is poorly produced. You could learn just as much from YouTube.
Walking around the warehouse is fun but the novelty wares off quickly. It’s also extremely hot in there.
There’s so many other things to do in NOLA. This place is okay just to say you did it, but at $ 10 for parking and $ 20 per person to get in, it’s not worth it.
If you do want to go, catch a free bus from the downtown area.

I had initially written off Mardi Gras World because it seemed like the ultimate tourist trap. After several people recommended it, I reconsidered and am glad that I did.
Yes, there is a high cheese factor with Mardi Gras beads as our «tickets» and a less-​than-​enthusiastic guide ushering us into the theatre to try on costumes and take pics. However, the film that followed was surprisingly informative about the history of Mardi Gras and the walk through the studio and storage facility was eye-​opening. Learning how the Mardi Gras floats come to be was so cool, watching the artists construct props was fascinating, and wandering amongst the Krewe of Orpheus’s floats was surreal fun.
If possible, take their free shuttle from the French Quarter to avoid the $ 10 parking fee. And grab a coupon — online or from your hotel — to shave a few dollars off the ticket price.

Normally I only review food places but I figured why not since this was a stop in my New Orleans trip!
I was a little bummed that I wasn’t going to NOLA for Mardi Gras (too expensive) so I thought this would be a fun way to get some of the experience and learn about Mardi Gras without actually being there. While I thought parts of it were definitely cool and interesting, I don’t think it was worth $ 20+ per person.
Things that I thought were cool:
— Looking at the booths and the process of making the booths
Things I thought were cheesy/​probably not worth it:
— Trying on costumes: I honestly didn’t get anything out of this
— History of Mardi Gras Video: was it informative? yes. could I have probably found this video or something similar on YouTube? yes
— Mardi Gras Cake: I was disappointed that it tasted pretty much like store bought cake
I was also disappointed by the lack of an actual tour of the warehouse. It was more of a walk around and then drop you off and let you explore type thing. If I had to go again I probably would (parts of it were interesting and I did want to do something Mardi Gras related in my trip), but I don’t think I would recommend it to someone else without a significant discount nor would I come back again.

I hadn’t been here since they moved from the West Bank. Was pleasantly surprised! Even though it’s reeeeeeally expensive, it’s a nice way to spend a rainy afternoon if you’re a tourist, or a local playing tour guide. Kinda cool to see the artists working on the floats.
They give you Gambinos King Cake too, which is a plus.
Nearby parking is $ 10, or you can take a free shuttle from the CBD/​FQ hotels.

A tourist trap indeed, but not one without substance. Definitely family friendly (and surprisingly dry).
They offer a free shuttle and seem to work with you to set a pick up at a mutually convenience location. Upon arrival, you enter the gift shop (the beginning and end of your Mardi Gras world experience) to purchase a ticket (full price $ 20; student discounts available).
First the group is escorted into a room where they let you try on some makeshift one-​size-​fits-​all mardi gras costume-​aprons and hats to take pictures with some props stationed around the room. (Our group actually went a little crazy with this part…). A short film is then played in the room overviewing the history of the Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans and the Krewe organizations – which I actually found quite informative.
Our tour guide then served us some King’s Cake, and explained to us the tradition surrounding the dish before leading us to the warehouse, which is probably the most fun part of the tour.
According to the guide, 22 krewes use the warehouse to prepare and store their props – each costing several thousand dollars. He walked us through the construction process from paper maiche to the painting. About a dozen artists were in that day working on props. Afterwards, we were free to explore and take pictures with the different props that had either been used in previous parades and/​or were in progress before installation on a float for 2015.
Overall, its a cool «behind-​the-​scenes» look at how Mardi Gras parades are put together at a decent price point. All in, the whole experience lasted about 90 minutes.