Twelfth Night in New Orleans is January 6, and it's the official start of Carnival. That night a krewe rides the St. Charles streetcar in costume and a walking parade honors Joan of Arc in the French Quarter. Then everybody goes home and cuts a king cake.
For the rest of the country, January 6 is when the tree comes down. Here, it's opening day.
Why January 6
Twelfth Night is the twelfth night after Christmas, the eve or feast of the Epiphany, depending on who's counting. The Catholic calendar marks it as the day the Magi arrived. 64 Parishes notes that Carnival in Louisiana begins on January 6 and runs through Mardi Gras day.
There's a reason the king cake is tied to this night. In 1871, the Twelfth Night Revelers held a ball with a cake hiding a gold bean, and the young woman who found it became Carnival royalty. That's the start of the king cake as we know it, and it's why the cake doesn't show up in polite company before January 6.
The Phunny Phorty Phellows Ride the Streetcar
The first krewe out every year doesn't parade on foot or on a float. It rides the streetcar.
The Phunny Phorty Phellows first paraded in 1878, went quiet in 1898, and came back in 1981, according to coverage of the krewe's Twelfth Night ride. In recent years they've boarded around 7 p.m. at the Willow Street car barn and ridden down St. Charles Avenue in costume. The krewe's captain has called them the "heralds of Carnival," which is exactly the job.
If you want to see them, find a spot on the avenue near the car barn early. Bring a go-cup and a jacket. January nights here can surprise you.
The Joan of Arc Parade in the Quarter
Later that night, a very different parade rolls through the French Quarter.
January 6 is also Joan of Arc's birthday, and the Krewe de Jeanne d'Arc has marched on it since the krewe was founded in 2008. MyNewOrleans reports the krewe started with about 50 members and now has around 850. It's a walking parade that tells Joan's story with medieval costumes, banners, live music and handmade throws, with a local young woman playing Joan on horseback.
The "Maid of Orleans" connection isn't lost on anybody here. The French Quarter already has a gilded statue of her that locals call Joanie on the Pony, and the parade feels like the city throwing her a birthday party she'd actually approve of.
For 2026, MyNewOrleans listed a 7:30 p.m. start at Bienville and Front Streets, ending near the French Market, and the Blessing of Joan's Sword was held at St. Mary's Chapel on Chartres Street. Check the krewe's schedule for 2027, since routes and times can shift.
The First King Cake
Somewhere between the streetcar and the parade, you eat king cake. That's not optional.
Offices bring them in the next morning. Families cut one after dinner. The baby goes to somebody, and that somebody is now responsible for the next cake, which is how the cakes keep coming until Mardi Gras. If you want the full story of that tiny plastic baby, we wrote it up in King Cakes: Purple, Green, Gold, and a Tiny Plastic Baby Inside, and we laid out the rules in what makes a king cake real. And if you've never seen the fake commercials for Larry Ragusa's King Cakes, Twelfth Night is the right night to start.
The King Cake Baby Flag goes up on a lot of porches around now, a 3-by-5-foot salute to the MVP of the season. Hanging it on January 6 is about as official as Carnival gets for most of us.
What Happens Next
Twelfth Night opens the door, and the season builds from there. Balls start up, and parades start rolling on weekends before picking up speed. By the last stretch before Fat Tuesday, it's parades almost every night.
Pace yourself. That's the main piece of advice we give anybody asking about Carnival over our counter on Magazine Street or Chartres Street. It's a long season, and the people who burn out in January miss the best part in February. Our guide to what to do during Mardi Gras is a good next read.
If you want to dress the part from day one, Let Them Eat King Cake in Carnival purple says everything it needs to. The rest of our Carnival gear lives in Goin' To The Mardi Gras.
Twelfth Night New Orleans: FAQ
When is Twelfth Night in New Orleans?
Twelfth Night is January 6 every year. In 2027 it falls on a Wednesday. It marks the start of Carnival season, which runs through Mardi Gras day.
What happens on Twelfth Night in New Orleans?
The Phunny Phorty Phellows ride the St. Charles streetcar in costume, and the Krewe de Jeanne d'Arc walks through the French Quarter for Joan of Arc's birthday. Both mark the start of king cake season.
Can you eat king cake before Twelfth Night?
You can find it, but by tradition king cake season starts on January 6. Many locals wait until Twelfth Night to cut the first one.
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