Universal Orlando Mardi Gras 2023 Guide

Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler! Universal Orlando’s Mardi Gras celebrates all things carnival from around the world with food, concerts, a themed parade, and much more. In this article, we will cover all there is at Universal’s Mardi Gras including concert schedules, parade times, food options, and touring tips.

Universal’s Mardi Gras 2023 runs from February 4 through April 16, 2023, and is included with park admission.

What is Universal’s Mardi Gras

Universal’s Mardi Gras celebrates carnivals celebrated all over the world, but mostly focuses on Mardi Gras in New Orleans, LA. The party started in 1996 with a parade furnished by the New Orleans fabrication firm Kern Studios. Designed to bring in the locals during a quiet period of the year, Mardi Gras kept expanding with bigger musical acts and a longer season. In 2018 the event went to daily operations with Universal stepping up its food festival offerings. Now guests can sample exclusive foods from around the world, ride on a New Orleans parade float, walk through the Tribute Store, or catch a headliner concert.

New for 2023 is an expanded focus on food with food booths in Islands of Adventure, CityWalk, and the resorts. Grab a cocktail at the new Cursed Coconut Club in CityWalk, a themed bar experience.

Mardi Gras Food Festival

Mardi Gras is Universal’s premier food festival and features over 50 dishes and dozens of cocktails from all over the world. Similar to Epcot’s foot festival, temporary structures are placed throughout Universal Studios Florida, with booths featuring food and beverage options appropriate to the host country. This year the fun expands to Universal’s Islands of Adventure Port of Entry, CityWalk, and the hotels with New Orleans and Medeterranian-themed options.

Booths open at 11:00 am and close half an hour before the park closes. Menu items range in price from $5 to over $15 with most dishes around $9-12.

Below are the food menus for the 2023 Universal Mardi Gras.

The Universal Orlando Food & Beverage Card is a prepaid food gift card accepted at all food booths and restaurants. Cards cost $65 and include $75 worth of dining credit, a $10 savings. Cards have no expiration date and prior years’ card balances are still valid at this year’s Mardi Gras food booths. Since the card works at all restaurants in the parks and CityWalk you can save some serious money on meals. For example, guests can purchase $525 in dining credit for $455.

Touring Tips: Long queues form quickly at some booths, such as the France booth at Central Park Crepes. Booth waits fluctuate, with afternoons on weekdays being the least crowded and evenings on the weekend is the most crowded. We suggest picking up a tasting card and planning your route to start at 11:00 am sharp.

Mardis Gras Parade

Straight from New Orleans is Universal’s Mardi Gras parade, featuring floats designed by the world-renowned Kern Studios of NOLA. This ain’t no Disney parade, this one starts with a full police motorcycle escort followed by dozens of dancers, stilt walkers, and decked-out floats full of guests. Did I mention guests can ride the floats? Yup, guests can ride the floats, and as is New Orleans tradition, toss beads to the crowd. Don’t get any funny ideas, this is a PG parade where the most risque thing is some bare midriffs.

This year’s theme is the “Mythical Realms of Mardi Gras” and features fantastical creatures from around the world. New floats with this theme will join the perennial classics like the King Gator and Riverboat floats. The parade runs daily in the evenings:

Float riding is available for Universal Orlando Annual Passholders online, regular day guests can book a reservation using the Universal Orlando app on the day of. If you want a guaranteed spot then consider purchasing the Float Riding Ride & Dine Experience starting at $84.99 per person. Your float riding spot is guaranteed plus you get an appetizer, entree, dessert, and soft drink at one of several USF and CityWalk restaurants. Be warned, dining spots are in the late afternoon, around 3:30 to 4:30 depending on the parade time.

Touring Tips: Universal’s Mardi Gras parade lasts for 15 minutes and takes 45 minutes to make its way through the park. The parade starts at the Horror Makeup Show and then moves clockwise through the park. We suggest picking a spot between Transformers at the lagoon for the most elbow room. If you know someone on the floats pick a spot in Hollywood for photos then head over to Mel’s Drive-in and Transformers for a second chance at photos and beads.

Concert Series

What is a party without some music? This year Universal features big-name acts to smaller jazz bands. Jazz Bands perform in the New York section of the park daily, afternoon through evening. Larger musical acts perform on weekends at the Music Plaza stage located next to Race Through New York starring Jimmy Fallon.

• February 4: Patti LaBelle – Come on it’s Patti LaBelle. ‘Nuff said.
• February 10: JVKE – Singer-songwriter famous for his viral music hits on Tik-Tok and YouTube.
• February 11: Goo Goo Dolls – 90s hits factory including their most famous Iris (trust me you know this song)
• February 17: Marren Morris – a singer-songwriter who blends their country roots with pop, hip-hop, and R&B
• February 18: Willow – SNL musical artist, raved by NYT and Rolling Stone, what more do you want?
• February 25: Three Doors Down – Multi-platinum artists who are best remembered for their hit, Kryptonite
• March 4: Sean Paul – Nominated for 9 Grammys and is one of dance music’s most prolific artists
• March 5: Lauren Daigle – Closing out Mardi Gras concert series is a NOLA native and two-time Grammy winner

The concerts start at 8:30 pm and run for approximately 80 to 90 minutes.

Touring Tips: Concerts vary in popularity from fun diversions to crowds so large they shut down the park. If you are planning on attending a concert we suggest showing up at least two hours early to Universal and staking out your spot 30 to 45 minutes prior to showtime. If you are not interested in attending the concert we suggest avoiding the Production Central and New York areas of the park and staying towards San Francisco, London, World Expo, and Hollywood.

Mardi Gras Misc

Universal’s Tribute Store combines intricately themed spaces with exclusive merchandise and snacks. Each Tribute Store features a new theme, with this year’s store pulling inspiration from New Orleans jazz clubs and speakeasies. Inside guests walk through several decorated rooms filled with Mardi Gras apparel, home goods, souvenirs, snacks, and photo opportunities. Tribute Stores are free to experience and open with the park, tour at any time.

Cursed Coconut Club, located in CityWalk by Bob Marley – A Tribute to Freedom, is a themed bar that embraces the spooky side of New Orleans. Universal has remained tight-lipped about this experience, we will update this post with more information once the bar opens for guests. The Cursed Coconut Club is open on select event days from 5:00 pm till CityWalk closes.

What is your favorite part of Universal Marid Gras? Have a dish you have your eyes set on? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!