Planning around the Mardi Gras parades Pensacola throws every winter? Circle Feb. 5 through 7, 2027. The Krewe of Lafitte Illuminated Parade rolls through downtown Pensacola on Friday at 7 p.m., the Pensacola Grand Mardi Gras Parade steps off Saturday at 2 p.m., and the Krewe of Wrecks parade takes over Pensacola Beach on Sunday at 2 p.m. Fat Tuesday itself lands on Tuesday, Feb. 9.
Downtown Pensacola is about a 27-minute drive from Splash RV Resort by I-10, so you can catch every one of those parades and still come back each night to your own RV site, cottage or covered wagon. Below you’ll find every 2027 date we could confirm, the latest on the downtown route, and a weekend plan that works.
Quick look at Mardi Gras 2027 near Pensacola:
- Downtown Kick-Off Celebration: Saturday, Jan. 2
- Kids and Kritters Parade on Pensacola Beach: Saturday, Jan. 23
- Krewe of Lafitte Illuminated Parade: Friday, Feb. 5, 7 p.m.
- Pensacola Grand Mardi Gras Parade: Saturday, Feb. 6, 2 p.m.
- Krewe of Wrecks Parade on Pensacola Beach: Sunday, Feb. 7, 2 p.m.
- Fat Tuesday: Tuesday, Feb. 9
When are the Pensacola Mardi Gras parades in 2027?
The big one, the Pensacola Grand Mardi Gras Parade, rolls Saturday, Feb. 6, 2027. The organizer’s 2027 Grand Parade entry application sets lineup at 10:00 a.m. and the parade start at 2:00 p.m., rain or shine. Pensacola Mardi Gras, Inc. holds it in downtown Pensacola on the Saturday before Fat Tuesday, and it says over 100,000 people gather for it each year.
Visit Pensacola doesn’t undersell it either. Its 2027 Grand Parade listing calls the day “The granddaddy of them all and Pensacola’s biggest day of the year.” The night before, the Krewe of Lafitte Illuminated Parade lights up downtown on Friday, Feb. 5, 2027, rolling at 7 p.m. The Krewe of Lafitte dates to 1954, according to its krewe page.
Fat Tuesday falls on Tuesday, February 9, 2027, and Ash Wednesday follows on Feb. 10, per the Farmers’ Almanac Mardi Gras calendar.
Want a parade on Fat Tuesday itself? Head west. The Orange Beach Mardi Gras Parade rolls Feb. 9, 2027 at 2:00 PM along Perdido Beach Boulevard, starting at the traffic signal at Wolf Bay Lodge, and admission is free. Back in Pensacola, the French Quarter Fat Tuesday Celebration inside Seville Quarter starts with a jazz brunch at 11 a.m., and the Priscus Coronation follows at 8 p.m.
What’s the Pensacola Grand Mardi Gras Parade route?
The 2027 route is still being weighed. In 2026 the City of Pensacola moved the parades off Palafox during construction for The New Palafox project, so floats crossed Garden Street and traveled down South Jefferson Street to Main Street, according to the city’s February 2026 road-closure notice.
WEAR-TV reported in September 2026 that city and Mardi Gras staff are considering keeping the parade on that alternate route in 2027. “We were rerouted because of the construction on Palafox,” Mardi Gras Pensacola President Danny Zimmern told the station. One piece is already set: the 2027 entry application says all entries enter the lineup area at Main and Spring.
For parking, plan on closures well before the floats roll. The city’s 2026 notice said the float staging area and the parade route closed to traffic approximately three hours before each parade began, and that vehicles would be towed if found on the route or in the extra no-parking zones once closures started. The organizer’s parade FAQ says parking is available throughout downtown, but not on streets closing for the route or staging, with public, paid and accessible parking maps coming closer to the event.
When is the Pensacola Beach Mardi Gras parade?
The Krewe of Wrecks Parade rolls Sunday, Feb. 7, 2027 at 2 p.m., running along Via de Luna from Avenida 11 to the Gulfside Pavilion at Casino Beach, per Pensacola Beach Mardi Gras. There’s no charge to attend, and the awards ceremony and party at the Gulfside Pavilion afterward is open to the public at no charge.
One heads-up: Visit Pensacola’s calendar shows a 1 p.m. start, but the beach organizer and the Krewe of Wrecks events page both list 2:00 pm. Either way, go early. Pensacola Beach Mardi Gras says parking lots begin to fill up around 10 a.m., parking is free, and public restrooms are at Casino Beach and the Pensacola Beach Boardwalk. The krewe has hosted this beach parade since 1979, WEAR-TV reported.
Bringing little ones? The Kids and Kritters Parade comes first, on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2027, in the Casino Beach parking lot. It begins at 2 p.m., and there’s no charge to attend and parking is free. Pensacola Beach is roughly 40 minutes and 28 miles from Splash RV Resort.
Is there a Navarre Beach Mardi Gras parade?
Yes! The Navarre Krewe of Jesters runs a Mardi Gras parade right on Navarre Beach. The 2026 edition was Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, with a 1:00 p.m. start, according to Santa Rosa County’s volunteer calendar.
In 2025 the parade entered Gulf Boulevard at Indiana Street, proceeded east and ended at Navarre Beach Marine Park, South Santa Rosa News reported. For our guests that’s a 25-minute, 25-mile run down to the island, which makes it an easy add if the 2027 date lines up with your trip. Keep an eye on that county calendar for the next roll time.
Is Pensacola Mardi Gras family-friendly?
It really is. Visit Pensacola puts it this way on its Mardi Gras page: “Downtown Pensacola and Pensacola Beach host family-oriented fun with parades, beads and moonpies.” The season even opens with a free Kick-Off Celebration that ends with the cutting of the official King Cake, and free King Cake goes to attendees while supplies last.
The history runs deep, too. Pensacola Mardi Gras, Inc. says it “all began in 1874 with the first Knights of Priscus Association, according to historian John Appleyard.”
A few house rules from the organizer before you pack the car:
- Pets aren’t permitted along the downtown parade route or within the event footprint, though ADA service animals are allowed.
- The Grand Parade doesn’t have a rain date and won’t be rescheduled, so bring a rain jacket instead of a backup plan.
What’s the weather like for Mardi Gras in Pensacola?
Expect mild days and chilly evenings. NOAA’s monthly normals for the Pensacola Regional Airport station put February’s average high at 66.4°F and the average low at 47.2°F, with 4.77 inches of rain for the month. That’s a light jacket by day and a warm layer for the Friday night parade.
Need to warm up afterward? At the resort, winter amenity hours run from Nov. 2, 2026 to March 8, 2027, with the pools and lazy river open 10 a.m. to dusk. Splash RV Resort heats every pool but the lazy river. Hot tub season stretches from a week past Labor Day until a week ahead of Memorial Day, which puts it right in play after a cold night on the curb.
Where should you stay for Pensacola Mardi Gras weekend?
Pick a base with room to spread out between parades. Splash RV Resort, 23 miles from Pensacola, offers 34 luxury cottages, eight covered glamping wagons and 280-plus RV sites with full hookups, so big rigs, couples and whole families all have a place to land.
Staying longer? Mardi Gras falls right inside snowbird season. The November-to-February monthly RV rate starts at $1,299 on the standard back-in tier, and a monthly cottage runs $2,399 for 4 guests or $2,599 for 6 between September and February. Monthly bookings go through our team directly rather than online, so start on the monthly snowbird rental page or phone (850) 600-8500. First responders, check our 2027 discount weekends too: the Thank You First Responders weekend in February is 50% off with code RESPONDER50.
Your evenings are covered back at camp, too. The resort’s events calendar features a Splash Cookout and Communal Campfire, where guests gather lakeside once the fire is lit, plus live music in the Biergarten. That’s a nice wind-down after the Grand Parade crowds, trust us.
How do you plan a three-parade Mardi Gras weekend?
The Pensacola Bay Area welcomed nearly 2.6 million visitors in fiscal 2026, driving $1.3 billion in direct spending, according to Visit Pensacola’s annual report. With that many people coming through, parade weekend rewards a little planning. One way to work it:
- Friday: Check in early, settle in, then drive about 27 minutes to downtown Pensacola for the Krewe of Lafitte Illuminated Parade, which Visit Pensacola lists at 7 p.m.
- Saturday: Leave with plenty of cushion. Downtown roads closed about three hours ahead of the 2026 parades, and the Grand Parade rolls at 2 p.m.
- Sunday: Get to Pensacola Beach well ahead of the 2 p.m. Krewe of Wrecks Parade, because the beach lots fill up fast.
- Tuesday: Toast Fat Tuesday at the Seville Quarter jazz brunch, or make the drive to Orange Beach for its 2 p.m. parade.
Bring a bag for your beads. You’ll need it!
Frequently asked questions
No tickets needed. Pensacola Beach Mardi Gras says there’s no charge to attend the Krewe of Wrecks Parade, and the awards party at the Gulfside Pavilion afterward is open to the public at no charge.
Not downtown. Pensacola Mardi Gras, Inc. says pets aren’t permitted along the parade route or within the event footprint, although ADA service animals are allowed. Pets are allowed in RVs at Splash RV Resort, with a limit of three per site.
The organizer says the parade doesn’t have a rain date and won’t be rescheduled. Pack a rain jacket and plan to watch either way.
Close enough for an easy day trip: downtown Pensacola is 23 miles out, so figure about 27 minutes by I-10. Pensacola Beach takes roughly 40 minutes, while Navarre Beach is closer at 25.
You can. Splash RV Resort’s winter monthly RV rate begins at $1,299, and cottages are available by the month between September and February. Phone (850) 600-8500 to set it up, because monthly reservations aren’t taken online.
Pensacola Mardi Gras, Inc. hosts a free Kick-Off Celebration in downtown Pensacola, and the evening ends with the cutting of the official King Cake.
From our spot by I-10 in Milton, you’re 27 minutes from the downtown parades, 25 minutes from the sand at Navarre Beach and about 40 minutes from the Krewe of Wrecks route. Grab your Mardi Gras weekend dates through our online booking page, or phone us at (850) 600-8500. Laissez les bons temps rouler!