What three colors are traditionally associated with New Orleans Mardi Gras?

The three colors traditionally associated with New Orleans Mardi Gras are purple, green, and gold.

These colors became especially prominent through the Rex organization, which helped shape modern New Orleans Carnival. Rex proclamations used the colors during preparations for the organization’s inaugural parade in 1872, and they have remained a visual signature of Mardi Gras ever since.

After a color-themed Rex parade in 1892, the colors were assigned symbolic meanings: purple for justice, green for faith, and gold for power. Historians also note that the original choice may have been influenced by aesthetics and heraldic ideas rather than a single definitive explanation.

The colors appear on parade floats, beads, masks, banners, clothing, cakes, and other decorations. New Orleans Mardi Gras is part of the longer Carnival season, which begins on January 6 and culminates on Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. The palette is specific to the city’s Carnival tradition, not a universal color scheme for every Mardi Gras celebration.