By Karen Brem, Marketing Director, Historic Mardi Gras Inn
COMING SOON!!!
Well, sugar, hold onto your wigs and waterproof your lashes — because Southern Decadence 2025 is strutting our way, and New Orleans is about to crank the fabulous meter all the way up to unholy levels.
I’m Karen Brem, your ever-sassy Marketing Director here at the Historic Mardi Gras Inn, and consider this your official warning — this wild, raucous, deliciously naughty Labor Day weekend tradition is coming August 28 – September 1, 2025, and it will not wait for you to decide if you’re “in the mood” to attend.
Spoiler alert: You’re in the mood.
So, What Is Southern Decadence?
Imagine Mardi Gras and Pride had a love child — and then that child grew up, put on six-inch stilettos, ordered three hurricanes (the drinks, darling… although the weather sometimes plays along), and threw the most unapologetically outrageous street party the world has ever seen.
That’s Southern Decadence. It’s the Gay Mardi Gras, baby. Five glorious days of parades, parties, rooftop rendezvous, leather, lace, drag, dance floors, and oh yes — a little decadence in every possible sense of the word.
Why This is THE Weekend You Don’t Miss
Southern Decadence is not for spectators — it’s for participants. Whether you’re dripping in sequins, slathered in glitter, rocking leather from head to toe, or serving body-ody-ody in next to nothing at all, you are part of the living, breathing work of art that takes over the Fabulous French Quarter.
And speaking of perfect locations…
Where to Land Between Adventures
The Historic Mardi Gras Inn is your one-block-from-the-Quarter home base, which means you can stumble home at 4 a.m. and still be in bed before your drink is warm. Need to venture out to other neighborhoods for more mischief? The streetcar stop is just a two-minute walk from our front door.
We’ve just had a site-wide glow-up, baby — fresh, fabulous, and ready for her close-up. And did I mention we’re now proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated? Oh yes, this is a space built on love, inclusion, and a healthy appreciation for adult fun.
What do we promise? Just what matters — clean, affordable accommodations and a warm, welcoming staff dedicated to making your stay amazing. No fluff, no fake sparkle — just the real thing.
Don’t Be That Friend Who Waits
Rooms for Southern Decadence weekend vanish faster than a drag queen changes wigs backstage. This is the weekend when the French Quarter becomes one big, sweaty, glittery, high-energy, no-sleep playground — and baby, you do not want to be standing on the sidelines watching it pass you by.
Book NOW. Not tomorrow, not “after I check with the group chat,” not “let me see how my summer looks.” The time to lock in your spot is yesterday.
Consider This Your Invitation
Come for the parade. Stay for the parties. Indulge in every ounce of adult nightlife the French Quarter has to offer. Bring your wildest outfits (and maybe one that’s just body paint — hey, this is Southern Decadence). Make it a long weekend — Thursday to Tuesday — because this event does not fit neatly into a Friday-to-Sunday box.
This is your chance to let loose, live loud, and join thousands of fabulous souls for the most unapologetically queer, joy-filled, boundary-pushing weekend of the year.
📅 Southern Decadence 2025
August 28 – September 1 • French Quarter, New Orleans
💋 Historic Mardi Gras Inn — 1 block from the Quarter, 2 minutes from the streetcar, infinite possibilities for trouble.
Book. Your. Room. Now. CALL US QUICKLY Y’ALL AT 504.949.5815 OR 1.800.209.9408. OR VISIT US ONLINE AT historicmardigrasinn.com.