The Orlando Real

Mardi Gras is back at Universal Orlando this year! From February 5 to April 24, 2022, you can come experience the beads, the parades, the food, the music and so much more! Here is a look at what you can expect from Mardi Gras 2022 at Universal.

Parades

What is a Mardi Gras celebration without a fun-filled parade? Universal goes BIG with their Mardi Gras parades. There are huge colorful floats, amazing costumes, and more beads than you can imagine! This year, Universal is adding six more parade float to their lineup, bringing the new grand total to 12 floats. If you are a Universal annual passholder, you can reserve a spot to ride on top of one of the floats! All riders must be 18 years old or accompanied by a parent or guardian. Those who wish to ride atop the parade floats must also sign a waiver and be at least 48 inches in height. Parades happen nightly from February 5 to April 24. On April 1^st, 2^nd and 8^th, there will be no parade.

Concerts

During the Mardi Gras celebration, you can also see some of your favorite musicians! The best part is the concert is free with valid park admission! There are concerts every weekend in February and March during the Mardi Gras festival. Come enjoy the show at Universal’s Music Plaza Stage. The concert lineup is:

FEBRUARY

• Sat. Feb 5- 8:30pm: Sugar Ray
• Sat. Feb 12- 8:30pm: Diana Ross
• Sat. Feb 19- 8:30pm: Barenaked Ladies
• Sun. Feb 20- 8:30pm: Styx
• Sat. Feb 26- 8:30pm: Jon Pardi

MARCH

• Sat. Mar 5- 8:30pm: LL COOL J feat DJ Z-Trip
• Sun. Mar 6- 8:30pm: Marshmello
• Sat. Mar 12- 8:30pm: Lee Brice
• Sun. Mar 13- 8:30pm: Becky G
• Fri. Mar 18- 8:30pm: Khalid
• Sat. Mar 19- 8:30pm: Seal
• Sun. Mar 20- 8:30pm: Gavin DeGraw
• Fri. Mar 25- 8:30pm: The Revivalists
• Sat. Mar 26- 8:30pm: Jimmie Allen
• Sun. Mar 27- 8:30pm: Jason Derulo

Food

Last, but most certainly not least, we have the famous Mardi Gras food! There will be many favorites from New Orleans specialties, delicious food from around the world and specialty cocktails. Some of the delicious things to try this year include Crawfish Boil, Beignets, Coconut Shrimp Laska, Salchipapas and much, much more! There will be Mardi Gras food kiosks set up around the park so be sure to stop at one (or all) of them! 

Mardi Gras Tribute Store

For every festival at Universal Orlando, there is a tribute store themed for it. The Mardi Gras Tribute Store has everything you never knew you needed. There’s a room in the store that doubles as a float factory and it shows you how the famous Mardi Gras floats are created. You can also get a sneak peek at sketches, costumes, models and more. Looking for more? You can purchase masks, beads, t-shirts, treats and more as well!

Overall

Universal does a great job with their Mardi Gras festival. It is one of the best times of the year to go there. The fun-filled parades, the amazing music line up and the mouth-watering food are just a few reasons why you should go experience Mardi Gras at Universal. What is your favorite Universal festival?