NOLA.com8%
New Orleans City Council approves new Mardi Gras rules to save costs, improve safety 14%
By Joni Hess19%
7/23/2026, 4:49:00 PM
BS Summary: This article contains 17 faulty reasoning types, including Optimism Bias, Status Quo Bias, and Loss Aversion, with Framing Effect as the most egregious example at 12.1% saturation with 96 hits. Analysis detected 672 faulty-reasoning hits from 794 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 30% and a BS Rank of 14% (19,016 of 21,886 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 86.90% of the article peer group.
The New Orleans City Council on Thursday unanimously approved a long list of changes for Mardi Gras 2027 that will bring earlier parade start times, new parking restrictions and stiffer penalties for breaking the rules.
The city ordinance changes, some of which were initiated by the Mayor’s Mardi Gras Advisory subcommittee and the New Orleans Police Department in partnership with krewes, aim to cut down on overtime costs, improve public safety and keep the parades moving.
Later that day, the advisory committee met to discuss increases to parade permits to help defray costs associated with Carnival.
“It’s a season that's designed to provide an opportunity for everyone to have a good time, and if you've got obstructions to people having a good time, you know you're in the wrong place in New Orleans,” Councilmember Eugene Green said.
City Council President JP Morrell, who proposed the changes to the council, said the NOPD was concerned about enforcement, so the council approved higher penalties for violators that include misdemeanor criminal charges instead of just civil fines.
Grills, tents, furniture and portable toilets remain prohibited in public spaces along routes, but the fines for violators will increase from $250 to $1,000 and $2,000 each day thereafter.
Under the changes, five parades will have new start times.
The Krewe of Druids, which typically rolls the Wednesday before Mardi Gras, will start at 5 p.m., instead of 6:15 p.m.
Start times for parades rolling the Friday before Mardi Gras would remain the same, but Krewe d'Etat will roll first followed by the Krewe of Hermes and the Krewe of Morpheus, rather than Hermes leading the way.
On the Saturday before Mardi Gras, Tucks would start 30 minutes later, at 1 p.m..
Morrell said a few parades moved to an earlier time last year and it proved to be beneficial.
“It resulted in a tremendous amount of cost savings for the city.
We were able to reduce overtime … get officers, sanitation workers, EMS workers, everyone back at home to rest before going back out again,” he said.
Tow trucks will again be out in full force next year, and parking bans near parade formation areas will start four hours earlier, compared to two hours in previous years.
Beginning July 27, all drivers will be subject to higher booting and towing fees for parking illegally, city officials announced this month.
Boot fees will go from $121 to $172, and fees for towing vehicles will also increase based on the size of the vehicle.
Mardi Gras 2027 rule changes
Other changes include:
Bands may not stop to perform along the parade route when the parade is moving, a bid to put an end to lengthy gaps that can prolong parades.
Violations of ladder, tent, grill and portable toilet laws will be criminal offenses instead of misdemeanors, with higher civil fines of $1,000 for the first offense and $2,000 for the second offense.
Support vehicles must travel with their element with no large gaps.
All vehicular elements must ride two abreast.
Parades will be limited to three vehicle-based elements.
Riders must keep both feet on the float at all times and avoid standing on bags of beads, stools or other items.
Anything thrown from a float must be pre-approved.
Throws cannot be heavier than 3.5 pounds.
Glass bead necklaces cannot exceed 220 grams (about half a pound) in weight.
No dispensing alcohol off a float to paradegoers.
No smoking or vaping on a float.
No other glass, including bottles and glasses, is allowed on floats.
Krewes may approve the throwing of certain branded items: pre-packaged snacks, food products, and small personal items like soap.
At a separate meeting Thursday, the advisory committee voted to consider increasing the parade permit fees as a way to help the city find additional funds to raise revenue.
James Reiss, co-chairman of the advisory committee, will contact the 35 captains of the Orleans parading krewes with options for a tiered system.
The hope is to have something to bring to the council in late August for the coming season and work on a plan for a more permanent fee structure.
Councilmember King, who attended the meeting, said he would like a plan to bring to the council to "figure out a way we can all move forward for the benefit of the city."
Some krewe captains noted the dues for the coming Carnival season, which culminates Feb. 9, 2027, have already been assessed to the members.
Reiss said an effort will be made to find a solution for the first year and "ask the city if they have some leeway on getting" the initial increases.
Staff writer Victor Andrews contributed to this report.
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