What is Fat Tuesday? In religious sectors, Epiphany, Three Kings Day or Día de Reyes is celebrated on Jan. 6 and marks the end of the Christmas season and the beginning of Mardi Gras.

Mardi Gras in New Orleans, also known as Carnival, has been in full swing since Jan. 6 and will close with a grand, final celebration on March 4, better known as Fat Tuesday.

Mardi Gras, which is also known as Fat Tuesday, is a day of indulgence that marks the end of Carnival. It's immediately followed by Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.

If Fat Tuesday is on Tuesday, March 4, that means Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent falls on Wednesday, March 5. The 40-day observance ends on Thursday, April 17. When is Easter in 2025?

But Mardi Gras is an entire season, often called Carnival. It begins 12 days after Christmas on Jan. 6 and lasts until Fat Tuesday, or the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.

Fat Tuesday has arrived, marking the conclusion of the purple, green and gold festivities that began on the Twelfth Night, or Jan. 5. Throughout the month, Pensacola's Mardi Gras events provided ...

Fat Tuesday and the Mardi Gras celebrations will kick off a late start to the 2025 Lenten season — from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday. Unlike many other holidays, the date of Easter changes ...

Joshua Sirotiak plays with M.J.’s Brass Boppers during the annual Mardi Gras parade in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, March 3, 2025. The parade culminated in a show at the New Parish club.

If Mardi Gras season is the biggest party of the year, then Fat Tuesday is the ultimate final bash before the solemn Lenten season. In states along the Gulf Coast, the day is marked with parades ...