Carnival drew 2.2 million visitors to downtown New Orleans between the Krewe of Cleopatra on Feb. 6 and Mardi Gras day, a 10% increase from last year, according to data from Placer.ai analyzed by the Downtown Development District.
The increase “reflects meaningful momentum for our restaurants, hotels, retailers, and cultural attractions,” DDD President and CEO Seth Knudson said. “We remain focused on delivering a clean, safe, and welcoming environment that allows businesses to thrive.”
The larger Mardi Gras parades routinely draw thousands of visitors to the Uptown or Mid-City parade routes, and this year was no exception. Official sources have not released attendance numbers for particular parades, but parade route businesses reported steady foot traffic.
A study conducted by Tulane University professor Toni Weiss predicted Mardi Gras brought $891 million to the New Orleans economy in 2023. That year, the DDD estimated Mardi Gras brought in 1.8 million visitors, almost half a million less than this year’s estimate.
The city prepared for Mardi Gras this year by bringing in 500 Louisiana National Guard members to help with security, along with the 1,000 state and local officers already in the city. The weekend was considered a Special Event Assessment Rating 1 event, a risk assessment that determined Mardi Gras was an event of national importance that required extensive federal support.
The festivities were not exclusive to downtown New Orleans. Reporting from The Tulane Hullabaloo revealed TUPD responded to 180 calls during the Mardi Gras weekend, including 59 noise complaints and one that resulted in the confiscation of “whippets,” nitrous oxide canisters that can be used as a recreational drug, from the back of a U-Haul truck.