Ask the team · Bywater, New Orleans
Mardi Gras · New Orleans
A Mardi Gras group house in New Orleans, close to the parades.
Carnival runs from Twelfth Night to Mardi Gras Day (February 9 in 2027). A group needs a home base: beds for everybody, a kitchen for between parades, and a hot tub for the end of the day.
The short answer
Where a big group stays for Mardi Gras.
Mardi Gras is the hardest week of the year to house a group. Downtown hotels split the group down hallways at peak rates, and the big-group rentals go fast. Each CastleDay villa keeps up to 30 people behind one front door in the Bywater, across 12 bedrooms and 17 beds, with a private heated pool, hot tub and courtyard. CastleDay is licensed as a hotel: inspected, legal, city permit 24-XSTR-24029.
The walking krewes roll next door in the Marigny: Chewbacchus in mid-January, Krewe du Vieux and ’tit Rəx the week after. On Lundi Gras the Red Beans parade comes through the Bywater. The superkrewes (Endymion, Bacchus and the big floats) run the St. Charles route about 15 minutes away, and the Quarter is a ten-minute ride.
Between parades, the kitchen has double refrigerators and dishwashers, costumes can be staged in twelve separate bedrooms, and the courtyard and hot tub are there at the end of the night. King cake season opens at Twelfth Night.
The bedroom floor plans and the bed list by room are on every villa page.
On timing: Mardi Gras weekend books out closer to a year ahead. The January parade weekends, when Chewbacchus and Krewe du Vieux roll next door, are usually open and at January rates. The price you see is the total for the whole stay, before taxes. We don’t charge per guest, so adding people doesn’t change it. Pick your dates and the calculator shows the live price split per person before you enter your name.
Parades close by
Walking krewes next door in the Marigny, the Red Beans parade through the Bywater, and the superkrewes about 15 minutes away.
The home base
A kitchen with double refrigerators, twelve bedrooms for costume staging, and a hot tub.
A bed for every name
17 beds in 12 bedrooms, with the bedroom floor plans and the bed list by room on each villa page.
Three villas
Take one villa, or all three.
The layouts match; the personalities don't. Each sleeps up to 30; book two for up to 60, or all three for up to 90.
Good to know
Common questions
When is Mardi Gras 2027?
Mardi Gras Day is Tuesday, February 9, 2027. Carnival season opens at Twelfth Night (January 6) and builds through the parade weekends; the biggest floats roll the final two weekends before Fat Tuesday.
Where do big groups stay for Mardi Gras in New Orleans?
Hotels split a group across floors at peak rates, so groups that travel together book whole houses early. CastleDay sleeps up to 30 per villa (up to 90 across all three) in the Bywater, with walking krewes next door in the Marigny and the St. Charles route about 15 minutes away.
How close are the parades?
The Marigny’s walking krewes (Chewbacchus, Krewe du Vieux) roll next door, the Red Beans parade comes through the Bywater on Lundi Gras, and the superkrewes on St. Charles are about a 15-minute ride. The Quarter is about ten minutes.
When should we book for Mardi Gras?
About a year out for Mardi Gras weekend itself. The January parade weekends are usually open, with real krewes within walking distance at January rates. The rates page covers every Carnival weekend.
What does a Mardi Gras stay cost?
The price you see is the total for the whole stay, before taxes. We don’t charge per guest, so adding people doesn’t change it. Mardi Gras is peak season, so pick your dates and the calculator shows the live price split per person.
Can we come back to the villa between parades?
Yes. The villa is ten minutes from the Quarter and next door to the Marigny parades, so people come back to the kitchen or the courtyard between parades and head out again on their own schedule.
Keep the group together
Ready to keep your whole group together?
Each villa sleeps up to 30 across 12 bedrooms, 17 beds, and 8 baths. No per-guest fees, and the lowest rate is always direct.
Check availability