Grab traditional New Orleans food at the Village Dallas on Feb. 14. (The Village Dallas)
From bar crawls and parades to authentic New Orleans’ Cajun food, there are plenty of ways to celebrate Mardi Gras in DFW.
It’s Mardi Gras time, baby—a celebration of dancing, Cajun food, and Creole culture! Luckily, you don’t have to travel to New Orleans to get the full Mardi Gras experience, as there are plenty of ways to party in Dallas-Fort Worth in 2026.
People are dressing up, gathering beads, and getting ready for Mardi Gras in DFW right now. Celebrations are going on through Feb. 17, aka Fat Tuesday, a day typically reserved for indulgence and fun before the Christian season of Lent begins. This traditional day (and sometimes weekend before) is all about merriment, decadence, dancing, and pure fun.
So, book your reservations, buy your tickets, and make plans to attend Mardi Gras in DFW.
1. Dress for the party
Location: Dallas Vintage Shop: 1855 North Central Expressway, Plano
When: Now through Feb. 17
Start by dressing for the day! Make your Mardi Gras more fun with a costume fit for the occasion. At Dallas Vintage Shop, you can grab colorful, sparkly costumes, masquerade masks, giant beads, feathered headdresses, wigs, and everything else you could want for an epic look.
2. Mardi Gras on Main Street
Location: The Village Dallas: 5670 Village Glen Drive, Dallas
When: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 14
The Village Dallas basically transforms into Bourbon Street on Feb. 14 for an epic Mardi Gras on Main Street party. The open-container event encourages people to buy drinks and walk around with them, enjoying live music, food straight from NOLA, and Louisiana-boiled crawfish from the Cajun Crawfish Company.
Upgrade the free event with one of their available packages, which includes tickets for hurricane cocktails, Mardi Gras beads, and other perks for those 21 and older. It’ll be a day to remember (that is, if you can).
3. Mardi Crawl Live!
Location: Texas Live!: 1650 East Randol Mill Road, Arlington
When: 1-5 p.m. Feb. 14
Want the bar crawl experience without having to travel from place to place? Don’t miss the Mardi Crawl Live! at Texas Live in Arlington, where you can enjoy handcrafted cocktails and mouth-watering Cajun food throughout the venue.
There are seven themed areas, each with their own food, drinks, and photo ops. Enjoy the music of a roaming brass band, enter the limbo contest or the King Cake-eating contest, and buy all the Mardi Gras souvenirs your heart desires. General admission tickets start at $25.85.
4. Dash for the Beads & Mardi Gras Parade
Location: Oak Cliff Brewing Co: 1300 South Polk Street, Dallas
When: 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Feb. 15
Kick off the Mardi Gras festivities by running with the whole fam! The Dash for Beads family festival is a 5k run and 1-mile walk, where you can wear get moving to music from a live DJ and collect beads. The event, which starts at $25, benefits local schools and non-profits that promote physical fitness, healthy eating, and arts programming.
Complete the course to enter the after party, with a Kid Zone for little ones, and music, food trucks, and adult beverages for everyone else. Later, the admire the decorated floats, colorful costumes, and upbeat music at the annual Oak Cliff Mardi Gras Parade, which begins at 1 p.m.
5. 8thAnnual Mardi Gras Party
Location: Legacy Hall: 7800 Windrose Avenue, Plano
When: Noon-7:30 p.m. Feb. 15
Admission is free to the 8th Annual Mardi Gras Party at Legacy Hall, with a venue filled with the spirit of NOLA. Expect stilt walkers, show girls, face painters, fortune tellers, and live music to enjoy at this fun event. (There will also be masks and beads up for grabs, while supplies last!)
More than 20 eateries are inside Legacy Hall, many of which will feature a New Orleans-style food such as bruleed bananas, homemade bourbon caramel, crawfish and shrimp po boys, beignets, Louisiana crawfish rolls, and Bacardi Hurricanes.
6. Eat dinner on Fat Tuesday
Location: Restaurant Beatrice: 1111 North Beckley, Dallas
When: 5-10 p.m. Feb. 17
Restaurant Beatrice serves contemporary Cajun and Creole food both inside and in an outdoor, communal-style area. The award-winning restaurant is hosting its own Fat Tuesday celebration filled with themed food that is pure perfection.
The menu includes charbroiled oysters, fried green tomatoes, crawfish and corn beignets, NOLA BBQ shrimp, gumbo du jour, and mushroom gumbo for your appetizer choice. Entrees include blackened red fish Pontchartrain, catfish Atchafalaya, fried chicken, gulf shrimp Creole and stone-ground grits, and spicy Creole jambalaya stuffed pepper, among other items.
7. Share a King Cake with friends
Location: Haute Sweets Patisserie: 10230 East Northwest Highway, Dallas & 6959 Arapaho Road, Suite 106, Dallas
When: Feb. 13-17
No Mardi Gras party is complete without a King Cake! At Haute Sweets Patisserie, this traditional purple-, yellow-, and green-sprinkled cake is covered with beads and fake gold coins. The purple represents justice, the green represents faith, and the gold represents power.
It tastes as good as it looks because it’s made by New Orleans native Chef Tida. Choose from fluffy traditional King Cake (layered with cinnamon and topped with vanilla icing and sugar), or the cream-cheese filled King Cakes. Each cake comes with a plastic baby inside, and it’s good luck for whoever finds it—plus they have to bring the King Cake to the party next year.
King Cake bread pudding and Mini King Cakes are also available for pre-order, with availability Feb. 13-17.
