Universal Orlando Mardi Gras 2026 Dates And Dining

Published on Nov 21, 2025, 2:16 pm CST

8 min read

Key points

Universal Orlando Mardi Gras 2026 runs from February 7 to April 4, 2026 at Universal Studios Florida
Nightly parades feature glittering floats, street performers and bead throws, with concerts on select nights
Mardi Gras Float Ride and Dine Experience includes a three course meal and a guaranteed float rider spot
The Float Ride and Dine package starts at $94.99 plus tax (USD) per person and requires separate park admission
Participants must meet age and height requirements to ride a float and be able to stand for the duration of the parade
Universal Mardi Gras access is included with regular admission or valid Annual or Seasonal Passes, subject to blockout dates

Impact

Where Impacts Are Most Likely: Expect the biggest crowds and longest lines for food booths and concerts on Saturday nights and holiday weekends
Best Times To Visit: Midweek visits in late February or early March should offer lighter crowds with the full Mardi Gras experience still running
Tickets And Add Ons: Book the Mardi Gras Float Ride and Dine Experience early on preferred dates and remember it does not include park admission
Planning For Crowds: Plan dining and parade viewing around concert nights, arrive early for shows, and build in time to explore food booths
What Travelers Should Do Now: Lock in Orlando flights and hotels for February or March 2026, then decide whether the Float Ride and Dine add on fits your party

Universal Orlando Mardi Gras 2026 returns to Universal Studios Florida in Orlando, Florida from February 7 to April 4, 2026, bringing back the park's blend of parades, beads, and global Carnaval food for spring travelers. The seasonal event targets both vacationers and locals who want a New Orleans style celebration without leaving central Florida, with nightly parades and concerts on select evenings. Visitors planning 2026 trips now need to decide whether to aim for parade nights, concert dates, or the paid Float Ride and Dine upgrade that guarantees a spot on a Mardi Gras float.

In practical terms, Universal Orlando Mardi Gras 2026 is an extended special event that overlays the normal operation of Universal Studios Florida with a nightly parade, street entertainment, and a dedicated food program inspired by Carnaval celebrations around the world and classic New Orleans dishes. The festival runs almost two full months, so travelers can match dates to school breaks, airline prices, and Orlando hotel availability rather than being locked into a single Fat Tuesday week.

The headline change for 2026 is the confirmation of dates and the early return of the Mardi Gras Float Ride and Dine Experience, a limited capacity add on that combines a three course meal at one of five participating restaurants with a guaranteed place on one of the parade floats that roll through Universal Studios Florida. In plain language, the Universal Orlando Mardi Gras 2026 event gives travelers festival level entertainment inside a theme park visit, and the Float Ride and Dine package is the main decision point for guests who want to take part in the parade rather than just watch it.

What Universal Orlando Mardi Gras 2026 Includes

Universal's Mardi Gras: International Flavors of Carnaval remains centered on Universal Studios Florida, one of the two main theme parks at Universal Orlando Resort. During the February 7 to April 4, 2026 window, the park plans a nightly parade with glittering floats, high energy street performers, and large volumes of bead throwing along the parade route. On select nights, the park adds live performances from "some of the biggest names in music," turning the event into a concert evening layered on top of regular attractions.

Food is part of the core pitch. Universal describes the 2026 event as bringing "dynamic culinary experiences and Carnaval festivities from around the world," with kiosks and booths serving international dishes alongside plates and drinks that reference New Orleans staples like beignets, po boys, and spicy stews. While specific 2026 menus are not yet published, the resort confirms that guests can expect a diverse array of international cuisine plus dishes "inspired by New Orleans' iconic flavors," an evolution of the expanded food lineup from recent Mardi Gras seasons.

Access to Universal Mardi Gras is included with regular admission to Universal Studios Florida or with a valid Universal Orlando Annual or Seasonal Pass, although blockout dates may limit which passholders can attend on popular days. That means most visitors do not need a separate event ticket to see the parade, enjoy the food booths, or attend concerts, but they still need to plan around park operating hours, crowd levels, and normal ticket pricing patterns for early spring in Orlando.

How The Float Ride And Dine Experience Works

For travelers who want to move from the curb to the float, the Mardi Gras Float Ride and Dine Experience sits at the center of Universal's 2026 Mardi Gras offer. The package is now on sale for the 2026 season and starts at $94.99 plus tax (USD) per person. That price is on top of regular park admission and functions as an add on, not a substitute for tickets to Universal Studios Florida.

On the day of their visit, Float Ride and Dine guests sit down for a three course meal that includes one appetizer, one entrée, one dessert, and one non alcoholic beverage at one of five participating restaurants. The current lineup is The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar at Universal CityWalk, NBC Sports Grill and Brew at CityWalk, Lombard's Seafood Grille inside Universal Studios Florida, Confisco Grille in Universal Islands of Adventure, which requires a 2 Park ticket, and Antojitos Authentic Mexican Restaurant at CityWalk, which is available for dinner only.

After the meal, participants check in for parade duty and are assigned to a specific float and position. Universal's materials and recent reviews of the 2025 version describe a process that includes a check in window, a waiver, and a staging area where guests receive wristbands and costume elements before being escorted backstage to the floats. Once aboard, riders stand along the railings with crates of beads and spend the length of the route tossing strings into the crowd, with a Universal team supervising for safety and pacing.

There are clear eligibility rules. Parade float riders must be at least 48 inches in height, must be able to board the float and stand for the duration of the parade, and must be at least 18 years old or accompanied by their legal guardian. Guests also need to sign a float rider waiver as part of the check in process. These requirements matter for families who might otherwise assume younger children can ride or who have mobility or stamina concerns.

Universal Orlando Passholders receive a 15 percent discount on the Float Ride and Dine price when they purchase online, at the front gate, at Guest Services inside the parks, or by phone, and Universal positions the package as a limited capacity add on, so popular parade dates are likely to sell out first. Travelers should also keep in mind that on nights with major concerts, the timing of the meal, parade call time, and show schedule can overlap, which may make it harder to secure prime concert viewing spots if they are on a float that evening.

Background: Universal Mardi Gras As A Theme Park Carnaval

Universal Orlando's Mardi Gras has evolved from a short, New Orleans inspired promotion into a season spanning festival that effectively anchors the resort's early year calendar. The "International Flavors of Carnaval" subtitle signals that the event blends classic Louisiana Mardi Gras imagery, such as krewes, beads, and jazz, with references to Carnaval traditions in Brazil, the Caribbean, and Europe, all reinterpreted through a theme park lens.

For travelers used to the relatively compressed Mardi Gras season on the U.S. Gulf Coast, where Fat Tuesday defines the peak, Universal's version stretches the concept. The 2026 run from February 7 to April 4 extends beyond the traditional Mardi Gras window and even beyond Lent, but it gives travel planners more flexibility to combine the festival with school breaks and milder Orlando weather.

Because the event is included with admission, the key structural differences between a normal Universal Studios Florida day and a Mardi Gras day are operational rather than ticketed. Crowds build around parade times and concert nights, food booths generate additional queues in certain corridors, and some guests dedicate a significant portion of their visit to watching or participating in the evening entertainment rather than cycling through rides.

Planning Tips For 2026 Trips

For 2026, the first decision is timing. Travelers who want the fullest experience, including concerts, should watch for the concert lineup announcement and then target those dates, with the understanding that Saturday nights and spring break periods will see the heaviest demand and most congested walkways. Visitors who care more about food booths and a less crowded feel may be better served by midweek dates in late February or early March when Florida schools are in session and major holidays are not in play.

The second decision is whether the Float Ride and Dine add on is worth the extra cost for a given party. For Mardi Gras first timers, especially adults and teens who are comfortable standing for extended periods, the combination of a sit down meal and guaranteed float rider slot can shift the night from "watching a parade" to "being in the parade," with most 2025 reviews describing it as a high value experience for fans of the event. Families with younger children under the height requirement, travelers with mobility issues, or visitors on tight budgets may find better value by focusing on parade viewing spots and food booths instead.

Third, travelers should plan logistics around the parade schedule. Float participants are typically called well before step off time, and even non riders may want to stake out viewing locations early on busy nights. That means shifting major rides to earlier in the day, eating either ahead of the evening rush or at less popular restaurants, and budgeting time to move between CityWalk and the park if dining outside the gate.

Finally, out of town visitors should treat Mardi Gras as one part of a broader Orlando itinerary. Because the event runs for nearly two months, it is possible to pair a Universal Studios Florida Mardi Gras night with separate days at Universal Islands of Adventure, Universal Volcano Bay, or other Orlando attractions while still keeping the Mardi Gras entertainment as the anchor evening. Packages that combine park tickets, on site hotels, and Mardi Gras nights may offer better value than piecemeal bookings, especially for longer stays.