Is Mardi Gras the World’s Best Carnival?
Which is the biggest and best carnival in the world? If you’re heading to New Orleans for Mardi Gras today, then you might have made your decision already, but there are quite a few other contenders. There are literally dozens of other carnivals on this date and at other times of the year and they all have their claim to fame.
Festival Pig has a top 10 list and interestingly, Mardi Gras only comes in at number 10. London’s Notting Hill is in at No. 5, while Rio is at number 3, beaten by Olinda in Brazil and the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, which featured in our last roundup of carnival celebrations around the world.
A 2006 article from Forbes lists some European contenders among the list, including carnivals in Binche, Belgium; Cologne, Germany and Venice, Italy. Unsurprisingly, a Trinidad vacations website claims that although that country’s carnival isn’t the biggest, it’s the most influential, because more countries around the world are using Trinidad-style carnival as their model. I guess the only way to find out is to to and see for yourself. 
Krewe Central adds a few more carnivals to the list, including carnivals in Brabant and Limburg in the Netherlands which feature papier-mache heads and lots of beer; carnival in Slovenia, with a range of different masks; and Croatia’s carnival, which dates back to the early 1980s.
While you’re making your mind up and planning your carnival world tour, you’ll need this Mardi Gras survival guide.
And you might also be interested in some facts about last year’s Mardi Gras, prepared by Fast Company.
Tags: carnival, festivals, holidays, mardi gras
