Mardi Gras 2024 Crowds at Disney World
Mardi Gras plus scattered winter school breaks and stray holidays means heavy crowds during what’s otherwise winter “off-season” at Walt Disney World. This stretch of February will be busy, with higher wait times, attendance, and congestion in Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. (Updated February 5, 2024.)
Let’s start with the good news. Mardi Gras 2024 won’t be anything like last year. As we stressed repeatedly months beforehand, that week was a “red flag” on our Walt Disney World Crowd Calendars. We predicted it would be the busiest week of the first quarter of the year, and one of the worst 10 weeks of the entire year at Walt Disney World.
That was due to a confluence of circumstances resulting in several holidays all more or less coinciding with one another, plus a runDisney race and youth sporting events at ESPN Wide World of Sports. Consequently, crowds started swelling a couple of days in advance of the Presidents’ Day (etc.) long weekend and crowds getting really heavy during Mardi Gras week. On our highly scientific scale of LSU and Saints shirts spotted in the parks, basically the entire state of Louisiana visited Walt Disney World that week.
Being a native Midwesterner, my knowledge of Mardi Gras is minimal. It wasn’t even on my radar until ~6 years ago when we moved to Florida and started seeing a lot of LSU and Saints shirts in the parks during a very busy week. (Seriously, that really was what did it.) That led me to do some research about school breaks, which confirmed suspicions. Since then, we’ve observed this trend continue to play out on an annual basis, with wait times also increasing alongside the Saints and LSU gear (no such love for the Pelicans).
For those wanting to plan ahead, here are future Mardi Gras dates:
- February 13, 2024
- March 4, 2025
- February 17, 2026
- February 9, 2027
- February 29, 2028
- February 13, 2029
- March 5, 2030
Here’s the basis for those dates. That same site also offers a ‘simple’ formula for figuring it out yourself: “Ash Wednesday is always 46 days before Easter, and Fat Tuesday is always the day before Ash Wednesday. Easter can fall on any Sunday from March 23 to April 25, with the exact date to coincide with the first Sunday after the full moon following a spring equinox. There you have it. Voila! If you’re still confused, get out a calendar that has the holidays printed on it. Fat Tuesday is always the day before Ash Wednesday!”
If at all possible, we’d recommend avoiding at least the long weekend (Thursday to Tuesday) of Mardi Gras. Staying away for that entire week-plus is the best practice, but crowds do usually decrease heading into the weekend (assuming another holiday week doesn’t occur after Mardi Gras–in 2024, one does).
Mardi Gras crowds at Walt Disney World are particularly bad when the holiday coincides with Presidents’ Day. When that happens, it’s not just Louisiana and a handful of other school districts in coastal counties in Mississippi and Alabama. Exponentially more school districts have Mid-Winter Break or “Ski Week” that coincides with Presidents’ Day–the key difference is that they’re not as geographically close to Walt Disney world as are the Mardi Gras districts.
In any case, the good news is that Mardi Gras and Presidents’ Day do not fall in the same week in 2024 or for the next few years. This is good news, at least for those who have a Mardi Gras break and plan to visit Walt Disney World, as it means the crowds will be diluted over the course of two-plus weeks instead of consolidated into a single week.
It’s bad news, I suppose, for those who just happen to be visiting Walt Disney World in mid-February 2024 because it seems like a lovely time to visit and crowds weren’t particularly bad last year. Those same dates will be worse this year. (Mardi Gras also overlaps with Lunar New Year and Valentine’s Day this year, but aside from maybe ADRs at popular restaurants for the latter, those holidays are not strong attendance indicators for Walt Disney World. It’s Mardi Gras that’ll be the cause of crowds that week.)
We’re drawing your attention to the week of Mardi Gras because the crowd spike happens every single year and there’s a lesson to be learned. Not only that, but fans are caught off-guard by the increase in attendance and wait times. After all, many of you outside Louisiana and those coastal counties in neighboring states may have no clue Mardi Gras is “a thing” at Walt Disney World that increases crowd levels.
It’s understandable that the spike in crowds continues to surprise Walt Disney World fans year after year. There are probably several factors at play here. First, reports of lower crowd levels for the month or so beforehand lulls people into a false sense of security and optimism that off-season trends will continue. If you’re seeing low-to-moderate wait times one week, you probably don’t expect those to spike sharply overnight. But they often do.
Second, while most people are generally aware of the aforementioned February holidays, not many people have them off work. Mardi Gras is not exactly like Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s Eve. The degree to which a couple of states or a region having a school break can impact Walt Disney World crowd levels is actually pretty significant.
If you live in the Midwest, you may not be aware that Mardi Gras is a “big deal” and popular travel period for the Southeast. If you don’t live in those locations, it’s an understandable blind spot. The same thing happens with Jersey Week, which impacts crowd levels at Walt Disney World. It’s not like these are federal holidays, and it’s also easy to underestimate how much a single state can move the needle.
But you know what they say? “Fool me once, strike one. But fool me twice… strike three.” ~Michael Scott
As for how bad crowds will be during the week of Mardi Gras, honestly, it’s almost impossible to predict. Last year, the break coincided with Presidents’ Day and, by extension, Mid-Winter Break and Ski Week. It’s always worse when that happens. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to separate those visiting from Mardi Gras school districts and those coming from Mid-Winter Break ones. Although there are a lot of LSU and Saints shirts, that scale actually isn’t quite scientific. Shocking, I know.
Of course, there have been plenty of previous years when Mardi Gras and Presidents’ Day didn’t coincide. The most recent of those was 2022, but the problem with trying to extrapolate anything from that was that it happened during when park reservations were being utilized to a more meaningful degree but also during the start of pent-up demand in earnest. As a result, the parks ran out of reservations for most dates during that two-week timeframe.
For whatever it’s worth (not much, in my opinion–but I’m still going to share it), Mid-Winter Break crowds started growing that year the Thursday before Presidents’ Day and peaked on the following Wednesday (2/23/2022) with a 10+/10 crowd level. Wait times were far above the normal range for 10/10 crowds–it was the busiest day of 2022 up until Thanksgiving, far worse than any day around Spring Break or Easter.
The entire long weekend was busy, much worse than any day during Mardi Gras (or the stretch as a whole). Wait times started dropped a bit Thursday through Sunday, and spiked on the Monday before Mardi Gras. Crowd levels slowly trended downward the rest of that week–from 9/10 to 7/10.
I wouldn’t be inclined to draw any conclusions from that, aside from the big picture one that Mardi Gras 2024 won’t be as busy as the week around Presidents’ Day. That’s a pretty safe one, consistent with what we’ve seen in the past when they’re separate weeks. It’s also fairly reasonable to conclude that Mardi Gras crowd levels will be higher than late January and early February, and even those have been elevated as compared to the historical norm.
So 8/10 to 9/10 crowds for Mardi Gras 2024 is absolutely within the realm of possibility. I’d bet against multiple days of 10/10 crowd levels for the entirety of Walt Disney World, but specific parks hitting that wouldn’t be a huge shock. A big part of that depends on Genie+ pricing. If the service is priced “too low” (relative to crowd levels), there’s the possibility of it selling out (or at least selling very well); that in turn could cause higher standby wait times, and that’s what crowd levels measure, anyway.
But all of that’s largely academic. For real people actually visiting Walt Disney World during the week of Mardi Gras, the parks will feel very busy. Putting a specific number on that is arguably counterproductive–8/10 to 9/10 could undersell the ‘feels like’ crowds and congestion that you will perceive.
If you’re a Midwesterner (or anyone for that matter–but a special shoutout to my fellow Michiganders!) who is currently freaking out because you accidentally picked the week of Mardi Gras to visit Walt Disney World because those same dates were good last year: don’t. Sure, the week of Mardi Gras will be busy. But it’s also an excellent time of year in the park with comfortable weather (certainly better than what you’ll have at home!)
On top of that, following a good itinerary and utilizing smart strategy is more important than choosing the “right” dates. And as we’ve seen on many occasions in the past, even those who choose dates that should be good have had that undermined by surprising crowds, disruptive weather, etc.
To that end, it’s entirely possible to beat bad crowds by utilizing Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, Early Entry, Extended Evening Hours, rope drop, etc. We cover the best & worst approach for each park in Best Time-Saving Strategies for Walt Disney World. If you’re only going to read one planning post, make it that. There are great ways to beat the crowds–even on busy days–without buying Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lanes.
By simply arriving early or staying late, you can beat the worst of the midday crowds. (Of course, that’s “simple” in theory but more difficult in practice, especially if you have small children. That’s a big reason why wait times are lower first thing in the morning and later in the evenings.) Be sure to also check out our Walt Disney World Itineraries for plans of attack, including options with and without Genie+ and Lightning Lanes.
If you have a healthy vacation budget and are interested in a splurge, there’s also an After Hours at Magic Kingdom on February 12, 2024. While I’m not inclined to strongly recommend that due to the big price increase this year, it’s a quasi-VIP experience and weeks like this are when it absolutely makes sense and can be a “worth it” purchase.
To that point, we have a ~4,500 word Guide to Genie+ at Walt Disney World & Lightning Lane FAQ for those who want to thoroughly master paid FastPass. Weeks like this, it’s definitely a good option for Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT. (Advance booking of Lightning Lanes will not launch before Mardi Gras…and probably not prior to Spring Break, at this point.)
Ultimately, we’ve been warning for a while that Mardi Gras will be bad at Walt Disney World. Although this understandably catches vacation planners by surprise, high crowds for Mardi Gras is not a bold prediction–it’s one backed by at least a decade of precedent and wait times data.
The open question is just how bad it’ll end up being in 2024. This is the first “normal” year in a while when Mardi Gras won’t coincide with Presidents’ Day, and there’s a decent range of possibilities for crowd levels–but all of them are above-average to heavy. There’s also the fact that Walt Disney World has not blocked out discounts for those dates, which means there are resort discounts for tourists and resident ticket deals for Floridians (and those include weekends this year).
For those who are thinking about a visit to Walt Disney World this winter that’s outside the second half of February 2024, we’d recommend consulting our February 2024 Crowd Calendar and March 2024 Crowd Calendar for specific best and worst dates. In particular, avoid Osceola and Orange County K-12 Spring Breaks. The good news is that, thanks to Easter occurring earlier, things will start looking better earlier than normal this spring.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you visited Walt Disney World during Mardi Gras or the other February holidays? Was it a year that coincided with Presidents’ Day/Mid-Winter Break? What did you think of the crowds? Any parks, times of day, or days of the week noticeably worse than the others? Did you notice a significant difference between posted and actual wait times? If you visited in the weeks before/after Mardi Gras, did you notice a big difference in crowd levels? Visited for past Mardi Gras weeks? Do you agree or disagree with anything in our crowd report? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Hi, we were 5 with 3 older teens who braved the crowds Feb15-19. We knew it was going to be busy but escaping snow was a must. With the large crowds and no fast passes it seemed like we were forever running from line to line. There were long lines for everything – even walking through Galaxy Edge’s shops. We did no shopping because we wanted to make sure we got on the rides. We did not have any ADR’s so food planning was a challenge – many counter service restaurants are closed and the ones that were open were extremely busy. And the days it rained many places closed early in DHS on Friday evening. If you don’t have ADR’s my advice is to make friends with the mobile order app asap, and make sure you plan ahead for the time you want your food. We had most of our meals from our Yacht Club Marketplace – (open until 10 thank goodness). Also, I understand why they haven’t opened Ratatouille – there is not enough space in France to have a distanced cue. That is such a busy corner of Epcot I don’t know how they’ll pull it off before distancing restrictions are eased.
Yes, Florida was one of the very few states that escaped the deep freeze. The New Orleans area (where I’m from) usually has the entire week off of school for Mardi Gras. This year we did not have that time off. Because of the deep freeze, they made a last minute decision to give Monday, then Tuesday off due to hazardous road conditions. The schools actually went to virtual teaching online. This decision was not made until late Sunday evening before Mardi Gras. If not for the deep freeze, there would have been no days off this year for Mardi Gras. No parades at all this year. Hope this help put things into perspective.
Hey Tom we were at WDW Feb 9-18, 2021. Yes it did seem to get more crowded towards the weekend but overall it was very pleasant compared to our last Dec 2019 trip. We did everything that we set out to do in each park except for TFOP at AK on the 12th, and we could have made it, but we stopped at the ROL stadium and let our little one watch the flotillas. We loved the laidback atmosphere in the parks and the wait times were not accurate – a lot of rides stated 15, 20 or 25 minutes and by the time we walked through the queue they were waiting on us to load. Even as the weekend brought more people, it didn’t get overwhelming, everyone except maybe 2 different families that we encountered kept their distance and gave us ours. The crowds were very nice and it would be nice if Disney kept it at lower attendance (we know they won’t) but the worst part of our trip was wearing the dreaded mask.
Tom – just giving a reader perspective. As a reader on a blog about crowds would expect that pictures showing the crowd would be current. Appears picture showing the crowd in Tomorrowland/Laugh Floor corridor not a recent Mardi Gras crowds? – not seeing one mask in the crowd.
I understand all pictures don’t need to be current but would assume those in this blog talking about crowds during Mardi Gras those showing a crowd would be those of this year Mardi Gras. Are any taken during Mardi Gras?
Just my insight and appreciate your blog.
Thanks for the 2023 information,. because I am planning my January or February 2023 WDW trip at the end of the 50th Celebration!
We visited last week, but we were prepared for the crowds (coming from a northeast state with a school break for the whole week and having visited several times that week over the years) However, while we were warned about Mardi Gras, it was still a shock just HOW much of the crowd was there for Mardi Gras. Maybe the other years we’ve gone that week Mardi Gras fell differently, but I literally had no idea it was a thing people celebrated outside of the traditional parade in New Orleans.
To put a better perspective on things, Mardi Gras is an almost 2 week festival (actually it is longer with a few small parades scattered from Jan 6th up to Fat Tuesday). The first big “weekend” starts on Thursday night to Sunday afternoon. The 2nd and final “weekend” begins on Thursday and runs through Fat Tuesday. Over 50 parades roll during that time! With everything cancelled, and most people have scheduled vacations (along with kids out of school) most everyone made plans to be elsewhere. So Disney, here we come! 🙂
First- Jim, you and your family are amazing and I rely on this blog like nothing else. I take large groups to Disney and would love to chat with you to get suggestions etc. for a Disney Japan trip.
Secondly- For what it’s worth, I was at Disney World this last week (February 16-21) with a group of about 40-50 people and had done a TON of research through your blog and also kept close watch on wait times at different times of day etc. for a few months and was able to put together a plan that worked shockingly well. With knowledge, even in the crowded weeks, you can have an amazing time. Though listed wait times were often high, I never waited more than 50ish minutes for any ride (that was Avatar) and waited less than 15 minutes for the vast majority of rides (and we rode everything, many times twice). So for those out there planning a trip- don’t stress! Be smart, listen to Jim (he’s almost always right) and do a ton of research and you’ll be just fine 🙂
TOM, I mean TOM. I have no idea why I put Jim. Ha. I think I know a Jim Bricker elsewhere. I’m embarrassed. Sorry. Ha.
Can some Southeast friends chime in and help me understand school breaks and travel tendencies more specific to Mardi Gras? If Mardi Gras is Tuesday, March 1, 2022, would the Mardi Gras vacationers be heading BACK to school on Wednesday March 2nd? or is that whole week and the following weekend (through March 6th) going to be carryover crowds? We were planning to take an extra day out of school before spring break and head down on Thursday, March 3, but now I’m wondering if that’s a bad strategy.
South Mississippi schools tend to be out the Monday-Wednesday of Mardi Gras week, but I know a lot of families that will just take the whole week to go to Disney because then the kids are only missing two days of school. So I think you would see crowds into the weekend after Mardi Gras.
Hiya! The way Mardi Gras typically works in the New Orleans/ Southeast Louisiana region is as follows: Most elementary, middle and high Schools have the entire week off. This true for public schools and the overwhelming majority of parochial and private schools. Most colleges and universities are off Monday – Wednesday. Even here, however, you have a lot of people who are able to ditch classes for the remaining 2 days with few repercussions, as family vacations during Mardi Gras week are a well-known fact of life.
I’d have to say that more people went to WDW this year than usual. Going to Aspen or elsewhere to ski is a thing, as is Europe, cruises, etc., during normal times, and almost all those options were off the table this year.
Hey! Just so you know, they’re cracking down on drop-offs at the Contemporary. To be fair, we asked our Lyft driver to drop us off at the walkway – which we had done a couple times before with impunity – but the police officer seated there used the megaphone to tell us to get back in the car, and then followed our driver (obviously we felt bad and gave the biggest tip possible – I don’t think she actually got a ticket). Seems like they’re cracking down on it
Wow, that really stinks. Is there a way around that? Make a reservation at California Grill / Chef Mickey’s / etc?
No Mardi Gras parades or celebrations of any kind in NOLA or Baton Rouge, plus terrible cold weather probably helped build the crowds as long as people got out before the weather hit. But they may have come home to broken water pipes if they were really unlucky.
Weather definitely could’ve played an exacerbating role. One heat map I saw showed almost of the US as a light or dark blue color, and literally just Florida as orange/red.
I checked the availability calendar today (2/25) and it looks different than before. I think I used to be able to see the different “buckets” available but now I only see one combined calendar. Am I interpreting that right?
Also, spring break week is already maxed out for DHS. No question with that just FYI. It has been for a while. Your prediction about that week is right…..happens to be the week we will be there but a busy WDW will be better than more of our living room
“…but a busy WDW will be better than more of our living room”
No doubt about that! To be clear, I’m not suggesting people not visit at all if those weeks are their only option. (There’s a reason those weeks are busy–some people have no good alternatives!) Just avoid them if at all possible. We’ve visited during every crowded week imaginable, and have always had a great time.
Also, the calendar still looks the same for me: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/availability-calendar/?segments=tickets,resort,passholder&defaultSegment=passholders
Agreed! The 2 trips I’ve taken in my adult life have ended up being during busier times; once during Jersey Week (which I didn’t know was a thing), and then last February which Tom ended up writing a couple articles about the high crowds all month. I had a blast both times, just bring your patience and know that it’s gonna be hard to avoid all crowds at one of the busiest theme parks in the world.
I’ve also realized “crowded” is a relative term. Being from New York City, it takes a lot more people for me to feel somewhere is crowded than it would if I was used to a rural farm area or even a smaller city where things are more spread out.
Thanks. Your link worked for me too, actually. Here’s the link I found via the Googles: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/availability-calendar/
It doesn’t have the buckets. Weird.
We are at WDW this week (Feb 20-26) and a bit surprised at how busy it has been on weekdays. We took your advice and steered clear of last week. Still having a great time though.
We were at Magic Kingdom yesterday and crowds seemed a bit ‘spotty.’ Some waits were shorter than we expected, while others were longer. Plus, a few areas of congestion. Good to hear you’re still having a great time!
We were thee last week Monday-Saturday (2/15-2/20). Yes the parks were crowded but we found wait times to be generally half of what was posted on the app. I think because the lines are so long due to social distancing it’s actually hard for Disney to estimate real wait times. We got to do every ride we wanted including RotR twice. The only day that was hard to navigate was Saturday and we then enjoyed the ability to park hop again hitting all four parks in the course of the day.
To be honest most of the time it was just really nice to see people returning to the parks. We were last there in August and being at WDW with no children or baby strollers was actually kind of disconcerting.
That being said I think the parks are pretty much at capacity without the return of fastpasses and the reopening of the quick serve restaurants and shops that are still closed. As AP’s and stockholders were watching with interest.
“Yes the parks were crowded but we found wait times to be generally half of what was posted on the app. I think because the lines are so long due to social distancing it’s actually hard for Disney to estimate real wait times.”
You’re 100% correct. Wait times have been inflated (more than normal) across the board since reopening, but that trend is exaggerated as times get longer. For some attractions, I think the limited amount of physical queue space contributes to inflated posted wait times–they’re trying to discourage some guests with high wait times so they don’t have to cut the lines.
If I recall correctly, Disney used to estimate wait times by handing random guests a card when they got in line, which was handed to the attendant who assigned you your ride vehicle, thus logging how long you were actually in the ride line. It wasn’t perfect (as the time would reflect what someone just waited, not how many people were in line at any given moment), but it happened to us a couple of times on various visits. I can’t imagine they are using such a high touch method right now, maybe that is also contributing to their less accurate than normal time predictions.
Another factor that may have contributed to last week’s crowds: travel restrictions. We would normally avoid a vacation week but because of quarantine and testing requirements we need a long stretch with our 7yo out of in person school. A long weekend is not an option when we need to quarantine for 3-5 days upon return. We were scheduled Sat-Wed last week although ultimately decided travel was too risky and cancelled.
Another good point as to something that could’ve played a role.
Actually it was your posts predicting this exact scenario that caused me to move my vacation from Feb 9-19 to Feb 1-11. After watching the crowdpocalypse descend after we left I couldn’t have been happier with that decision. So long as nothing sneaks up on us, I intend to be back same time next year. So…thank you!
You’re welcome. Glad to hear our advice was useful to someone! 🙂
We were there from 2/7-11. Super Bowl Sunday was a great day to visit Hollywood Studios. It was our arrival day and though we didn’t get to the park until close to noon, we rode every attraction including Rise (we got a boarding group at the 1pm drop). By 5 pm or so the park really started emptying out.
Anyway, Monday – Wednesday was very comfortable crowd wise. Some queues looked long but moved very quickly. We waited 15-20 minutes at most for many attractions and lots were walk ons. Only 7DMT and Slinky had waits that were actually 35-40 minutes (posted 55), as well as Pirates and Jungle Cruise in mid-afternoon.
And then Thursday….BAM! The crowds seemed to have doubled and with them, the wait times! I told my kids that you had predicted this would happen!
Thanks, Tom. I visited the first week of February. Incredible! I’m planning another visit next week, first week of March. I’m wondering now if I should just cancel due to the crowds.
I doubt crowds will be early February good (those were some of the lowest we’ve ever seen) but early March should still be really good by historical standards. As you can see in the daily (not weekly) graphs in this post, the Mardi Gras crowds are already gone.
I definitely would not cancel, but that’s just me.
Thanks, Tom! Love your site and your *blunt* enthusiasm! Haha. Sticking to the plan!
It also coincides with when the Princess Half Marathon would be. I was there that week last year and it was the busiest I’ve ever seen it. I can’t imagine it was pleasant this year even without the half marathon with no fast passes in place, which I heavily utilized along with rope drop last year.
Great point–totally forgot about the runDisney effect in normal years!
Love the bluntness of this. It kinda reads like people just not believing you/blaming you (somehow) if they went this last week and were shocked by the long lines.
Haha, blunt is the intended tone, but it’s not really about regular readers of this blog blaming or not believing us. More towards people who, presumably via Google, found the site and have voiced frustration or surprise that it was busy.
Plus, now I have a Mardi Gras post going forward that I can reference with a quick link in future crowd content, rather than trying to rehash all of this in only a few paragraphs.
Mardi Gras is always the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday–the day that Lent begins. if you count back from Easter, Ash Wednesday is 40 days before. And you know when Easter is because it is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox.
Catechism for the win.
Thank you…but I’m never going to remember all that.
“when is Mardi Gras in [insert year]” on Google for the win. 😉
I was coming to say something similar (but less detailed lol). My understanding is that Mardi Gras started as a way of everyone getting in their last party before being pious for Lent. And since the Easter season moves around each year, that is why Mardi Gras moves around too.
That’s why this biggest spike doesn’t happen every year, which in turn is why *I* used to forget that it’s possible until I hit it a few years back. It felt like near-summer crowds (but without FL summer heat & humidity).
But you don’t count Sundays to get that 40 days since Sunday is a day of celebration. So you can eat that cake you bought on Saturday even though you gave up cake for Lent.
Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) season starts on Twelfth night (ala Twelve days of Christmas) and that’s when the seasonal balls usually start. That’s why Universal should start their Mardi Gras celebration on 12th Night instead of Mardi Gras week. Then they run it past Easter.