2012 Mardi Gras Parades and Music Calendar

Carnival Time in New Orleans || Photo by Wesley Hodges

CARNIVAL TIME IN NEW ORLEANS || UPDATED 2/15/12 @ 4:20 p.m. CST

Carnival season digs its claws deep into the Crescent City tonight with the Druids and Nyx parades to kick off seven consecutive days of Mardi Gras merriment leading up to Fat Tuesday. Buckle up, be safe and let the good times roll. Continue on below for our up-to-date special edition Mardi Gras music calendar. Happy Mardi Gras!

WEDNESDAY, 2/15/12 (MYSTIC KREWE OF DRUIDS @ 6:30 p.m. – UPTOWN / MYSTIC KREWE OF NYX @ 7:00 p.m. – UPTOWN)

The Ghost Inside + Attack Attack! @ House of Blues (TICKETS/INFO)
Baby Bee @ The Howlin’ Wolf
The Lemonheads @ One Eyed Jacks (TICKETS/INFO)
Walter “Wolfman” Washington @ d.b.a. – 10 p.m. ($5)
PYMP featuring Michael Matthews @ Blue Nile – 11 p.m.
Cha Wa Featuring Big Chief Sysco Red, Colin Lake, Paula August Jepson, Kerry Said Dat, Tom Worrell, Joe Gelini & Special Guest Eric Vogel @ Maple Leaf Bar

THURSDAY, 2/16/12 (KNIGHTS OF BABYLON @ 5:45 p.m. – UPTOWN / KNIGHTS OF CHAOS @ 6:30 p.m. – UPTOWN / KREWE OF MUSES @ 6:30 p.m. – UPTOWN)

Rebirth Brass Band @ The Howlin’ Wolf (FREE)
Iris May Tango Mardi Gras Reunion Show @ Tipitina’s – 10 p.m. ($10 adv/$12 door)
Los Po Boys Citos @ d.b.a. – 11 p.m. ($5)
BLUE NILE – Micah McKee and the Little Movers (7 p.m.) || DJ T-Roy (10 p.m.)
So Called 90′s Dance Party with Uptown Aaron (Balcony Room) – 11 p.m.
Stooges Brass Band @ Hi-Ho Lounge
Yeasayer DJ Set @ Eiffel Society
Bassik featuring Doorly + Quickie Mart @ Republic New Orleans – 10 p.m. ($15 Advance / $20 Door – TICKETS)

FRIDAY, 2/17/12 (DIVA @ 1:30 p.m. – FRENCH QUARTER / KNIGHTS OF HERMES @ 6:00 p.m. – UPTOWN / LE KREWE d’ETAT @ 6:30 p.m. – UPTOWN / KREWE OF MORPHEUS @ 7:00 p.m. – UPTOWN / KREWE OF CENTURIONS @ 7:00 p.m. – METAIRIE)

Better Than Ezra @ House of Blues
funky METERS + TBA @ Tipitina’s Uptown
Rotary Downs @ The Allways Lounge in the Marigny Theatre
Flow Tribe + Naughty Professor @ Cafe Prytania
Rebirth Brass Band + The Revivalists @ The Howlin’ Wolf (FREE)
Sun Hotel//Vox and the Hound//Country Club @ Cafe Prytania
Enharmonic Souls @ 12 Bar on Fulton Street
Big History @ Republic New Orleans
Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes @ Blue Nile
Soul Project @ Blue Nile – 10 p.m. (Balcony Room)
Than-Fest! Minor Mishap Marching Band, Detroit Party Marching Band, The Forthrights, Karo & Beesknees @ Hi-Ho Lounge

SATURDAY, 2/18/12 (KREWE OF IRIS @ 11:00 a.m. – UPTOWN / KREWE OF TUCKS @ 12:00 p.m. – UPTOWN / KREWE OF ENDYMION @ 4:15 p.m. – MID-CITY)

Galactic + TBA @ Tipitina’s Uptown (TICKETS/INFO)
Morning 40 Federation @ One Eyed Jacks
Big and Rich, Gretchen Wilson @ Mercedes-Benz Superdome
Caddywhompus + Big Rock Candy Mountain + Donavon Wolfington @ Cafe Prytania
Rebirth Brass Band + Papa Grows Funk @ The Howlin’ Wolf (FREE)
Fishbone @ The Manship Theatre (Baton Rouge)
George Porter and the Runnin’ Pardners @ d.b.a. – 11 p.m. ($10)
DJ Jubilee @ Republic New Orleans – 11 p.m.
Cha-Wa @ Le Bon Temps Roule – 2 a.m. (LATE SHOW – FREE)
Big Sam’s Masquerade Ball w/ Flow Tribe @ Blue Nile – 11 p.m. ($20 – TICKETS)
Total Riot presents Strange Roux with Mississippi Rail Company and Coyotes @ Blue Nile (BALCONY ROOM) – 10 p.m.
Debauche, Sweet Street Symphony + Maracatu (NY) @ Hi-Ho Lounge

SUNDAY, 2/19/12 (KREWE OF OKEANOS @ 11:00 a.m. – UPTOWN / KREWE OF MID-CITY @ 11:45 a.m. – UPTOWN / KREWE OF THOTH @ 12:00 p.m. – UPTOWN / KREWE OF BACCHUS @ 5:15 p.m. – UPTOWN)

6th Annual Bacchus Bash featuring Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue and FISHBONE @ Tipitina’s Uptown (TICKETS/INFO)
Papa Grows Funk w/ Big Chief Monk Boudreaux @ d.b.a. – 11 p.m. ($10)
Hot 8 Brass Band @ The Howlin’ Wolf Den
Soul Rebels Brass Band Bacchus Bash @ Le Bon Temps Roule
New Orleans Bingo! Show @ One Eyed Jacks
Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk @ The Howlin’ Wolf (FREE)
Bam Margera’s Boobie Bash @ Republic New Orleans – 9 p.m. ($20)
Fishbone w/ Corey Glover (Living Colour) @ Blue Nile – 11 p.m. ($20 – TICKETS)
Cha Wa @ Rusty Nail – Following Parades

MONDAY, 2/20/12 (LUNDI GRAS) (Krewe of Proteus @ 5:15 p.m. – UPTOWN / KREWE OF ORPHEUS @ 6:00 p.m. – UPTOWN / Krewe of Zeus @ 6:30 p.m. – METAIRIE / KREWE OF CLEOPATRA – 6:30 p.m. – HOUMA)

George Porter Jr. and the Runnin’ Pardners plus Khris Royal and Dark Matter @ The Howlin’ Wolf
Lundi Gras w/ Galactic @ Tipitina’s Uptown (TICKETS/INFO)
Soul Rebels Brass Band @ Blue Nile – 8 p.m.
Jon Cleary @ Chickie Wah Wah
Glen David Andrews @ D.B.A.
Bass Drum of Death + Quintron and Miss Pussycat @ One Eyed Jacks (TICKETS/INFO)
VNV Nation @ Southport Hall
Lundifest featuring Juvenile + Brass-A-Holics @ Republic New Orleans – Doors 9:30 p.m. ($20 – TICKETS)
Gravity A @ The Dragon’s Den
12th Planet @ Club Ampersand
Rebirth Brass Band + Mississippi Rail Co. + Coyotes

TUESDAY, 2/21/12 (MARDI GRAS DAY) (ZULU @ 8:00 a.m. – UPTOWN / KREWE OF REX @ 10:00 a.m. – UPTOWN / KREWE OF ELKS @ 11:30 a.m. – UPTOWN / KREWE OF CRESCENT CITY – UPTOWN AFTER ELKS)

Authority Zero @ Cypress Hall (Metairie)
Voodoo Glow Skulls + Josh Garrett @ Old Point Bar
Mardi Gras Indian Orchestra, featuring Camile Baudoin, June Yamagishi, and Sunpie Barnes @ Hi-Ho Lounge – 3:30 a.m.
The Fessters Annual Mardi Gras Party @ Blue Nile – 8 p.m.
Mardi Gras w/ GYPSYPHONIC DISKO, The New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars & tba @ d.b.a. – 3:00 pm
The Treme Brass Band @ d.b.a. – 8:00 pm ($5)

January 30, 2012 | by Wesley Hodges | Concert Calendar, Festivals

About the author

Wesley grew up in coastal Georgia and is a former resident of The Music City and The Big Easy where he helped get LMB NOLA off-the-ground after launching in January 2011. Over the past few years, he has also contributed steadily to JamBase and Relix Magazine. Recently, Hodges moved on to L.A. where Abita Beer is hard to find, costs about $6 if located and impromptu parading in the streets will most likely get you arrested on the spot.