Plan for an earlier Mardi Gras 2023; see future dates for Fat Tuesday

NEW ORLEANS (NOLA WEEKEND) - Mardi Gras 2022 is finally in the books, and parades were back in action after a hiatus in 2021 due to COVID.

This Carnival brought revelers new parades but also modified parade routes due to limited staffing from people and other public safety personnel.

Plus, Yardi Gras returned again with homeowners turning their homes into Carnival works of art. The Krewe of House Floats emerged again as New Orleans’ newest Mardi Gras tradition.

Now, it’s pretty safe to say we’re looking forward to next year and hoping for even more of a return to normalcy.

So, when is Mardi Gras 2023 and beyond?

Fat Tuesday will fall later next year on Feb. 21, 2023, which is about a week earlier than it was in 2022.

See the Mardi Gras dates for the next five years:

2023: Feb. 21

2024: Feb. 13

2025: March 4

2026: Feb. 17

2027: Feb. 9

How are Mardi Gras dates chosen?

The day on which we celebrate Mardi Gras all depends on Easter. Fat Tuesday is also always the day before Ash Wednesday.

Easter falls on the first Sunday following the Paschal Full Moon, or the first full moon that occurs on or after the day of the spring equinox, March 21, according to the Farmer’s Almanac.

The Farmer’s Almanac explains that’s why Easter is a movable holiday, occurring anywhere from late March to late April. March 22 is the earliest Easter can occur on any given year, and April 25 is the latest.

According to the Astronomical Society of South Australia, “astronomers approximated astronomical full moon dates for the Christian church, calling them Ecclesiastical Full Moon dates.”

The Easter Dating Method was “achieved in 1583 A.D. using skill and common-sense by Pope Gregory XIII and his astronomers and mathematicians, predominantly Lilius and Clavius, by introducing their new larger (revised) PFM Gregorian dates table,” according to Astronomical Society of South Australia.

To sum things up, the calculation has everything to do with Mardi Gras and when we celebrate it. Usually set 47 days before Easter, Mardi Gras could fall on any Tuesday between Feb. 3 and March 9.

It’s no secret that Mardi Gras is always celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Lent is observed among the Catholic Church and some Protestant churches leading up to Easter as a time of repentance, marked by fasting, abstinence, prayer and almsgiving.

Practice your math skills and plan ahead for future Mardi Gras. Click here for a list of Easter dates through 2299, courtesy of the Astronomical Society of South Australia.

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