Red Cross Mardi Gras Support

red cross volunteers pushing carts in the street at a mardi gras parade.

Red Cross Supports Mardi Gras 2025

Serving the first responders and essential workers who keep Mardi Gras safe.

red cross volunteers handing out drinks and snacks to people on the street at a marty gras parade.

The American Red Cross of Louisiana supported Mardi Gras 2025 with two major initiatives: staffing First Aid stations with trained volunteers and launching a new initiative to assist first responders and behind-the-scenes Mardi Gras workers.

While the First Aid mission began in 2007, this year's expanded initiative speaks to the same mission: relieving the stress put on our first responders during this busy time of year!

Red Cross on the Route: Key Achievements

First Aid Stations:

38 trained volunteers assisted medical partners at New Orleans EMS, NOLA Ready, New Orleans Health Department and Medical Reserve Corps as they provided care for 10 days of parades
2,513 individuals assisted with minor medical needs
91 hands-on patient care services delivered and 19 patients required hospital transportation

First Responders Support:

2,300 meals served on parade routes
5,000 snacks, Gatorade, juices and water distributed
45 volunteers over 6 days walking between parades to provide meals and refreshments

Volunteer Impact:

1,200+ hours of volunteer service
30+ new volunteers signed up during Mardi Gras

Group of Red Cross volunteers wearing Red Cross vests and happy mardi gras shirt, gathered around the back of a Red Cross van.

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Red Cross volunteer wearing a Red Cross vest handing food to person on tractor that's pulling a mardi gras float.

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Red Cross volunteers wearing a Red Cross vests handing food to police officers at mardi gras parade.

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Red Cross volunteer wearing a Red Cross vest handing food and drink to person on tractor that's pulling a mardi gras float.

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Red Cross volunteer standing in street standing next to a Red Cross van with mardi gras floats lined up.

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Military marching band in street next to a Red Cross van.

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Red Cross volunteer, next to Red Cross van, pulling wagon filled with water bottles towards police officers.

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Red Cross volunteers delivering snacks to police officers at mardi gras parade with crowd of people alomg the street.

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Red Cross volunteer at the back of a Red Cross van with back door open and crowd of people on the side of street.

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Red Cross volunteers in the back of a Red Cross van handing out snacks and drinks to police officers and mardi gras parade.

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Community Impact

Through our work caring for community responders and behind-the-scenes workers, we built trust, visibility and partnership with:

34 Mardi Gras parading organizations
Mayor’s Mardi Gras Advisory Council
Local first responders (Police, Fire, EMS)
Mardi Gras support staff and behind-the-scenes workers, including tractor drivers, sanitation crews, marching group chaperones and more

Thank You

The success of the Mardi Gras 2025 Initiative would not have been possible without the generosity and dedication of our local board members, community partners and donors.

Special thanks to:

Arthur Hardy

Courtney Clofer, Board Member

Hubig's Pies

Hufft Marchand Hospitality

Patrick Cresson, Board Member

Phoebe Cook, Board Member

Scott Zander, Board Member

Sodexo

Loyola University Catering Department

Able Life Care Services

OUTFRONT Media

Jones Walker LLP

Get Involved

Become a volunteer

and join us next year along the route!

Donate

A gift to Your Local Red Cross supports Red Cross programs and services in your community. Your Red Cross region is on the ground every day of the year, working to make local communities more resilient and providing support to families in need.

See below for parade safety tips to share with your family and friends who are attending the parades as spectators, and as always, be sure to download the American Red Cross app for general safety tips.

Additional safety tips and reminders on how to celebrate safely from our partners at NOLA Ready can be found here.

General Parade Safety Tips

(Please share with your family and friends who are attending the parade as spectators.)

Join our Mardi Gras Mission!

Red Cross volunteer wearing star shaped shades and beads around neck at Mardi Gras.

For more than a decade, CPR-certified American Red Cross staff and volunteers have had a presence during the Mardi Gras season. This year, we’re once again inviting CPR-certified volunteers to join our medical partners with the New Orleans Health Department, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Medical Reserve Corps, NOLA Ready, Volunteer Corps and VIGOR in first aid stations along the Uptown New Orleans parade route.

First Aid Stations

Uptown Route

St. Charles Avenue & Louisiana Avenue
St. Charles Avenue & St. Andrew St.
St. Charles Avenue & Howard (Harmony Circle)
St. Charles Avenue & Canal Street

Mid-City | Endymion Route Only:

N. Hennessey and Orleans
N. Broad St. and Canal St

Supporting First Responders & Essential Workers

We are expanding our support of Mardi Gras with a new initiative targeted to support our first responders and the “behind the scenes” workers stationed along the parade route, who are so integral to the success of Mardi Gras.

For six days of the 10-day Mardi Gras season, a Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) will be driven on the actual parade route between parading Krewes. Our ERVs will be stocked with assorted comfort items such as sandwiches, snacks, coffee, water, etc. and will be distributed to first responders and workers such as NOPD, NOFD, visiting law enforcement, sanitation workers, tractor drivers, military and out of town band members, chaperones and dance teams not accustomed to parading for long distances.

Look for our ERV - the big white truck with the red cross - rolling in between the following parades:

Fri, Feb 21 (after Oshun, before Cleopatra)

Sat, Feb 22 (after Legion of Mars, before Choctaw)

Wed, Feb 26 (after Druids, before Alla)

Fri, Feb 28 (after Hermes, before D'Etat)

Sun, Mar 2 (after Mid-city, before Thoth)

Mon, Mar 3 (after Proteus, before Orpheus)

join us on the route!

Parade Schedule

Friday, February 21: Uptown

Krewe of Oshun - 6:00 p.m.
Krewe of Cleopatra (Follows Oshun)

Saturday, February 22: Uptown

Krewe of Pontchartrain - 11:30 a.m.
Legion of Mars (Follows Pontchartrain)
Krewe of Choctaw (Follows Legion of Mars)
Krewe of Freret (Follows Choctaw)
Knights of Sparta/Spartan Society - 5:30 p.m.
Krewe of Pygmalion (Follows Knights of Sparta)

Sunday, February 23: Uptown

The Mystic Krewe of Femme Fatale - 11:00 a.m.
Krewe of Carrollton - 12:30 p.m.
Krewe of King Arthur - 1 p.m.

Wednesday, February 26: Uptown

Krewe of Druids - 6:15 p.m.
Krewe of Alla (follows Druids)

Thursday, February 27: Uptown

Knights of Babylon - 5:30 p.m.
Knights of Chaos (Follows Babylon)
Krewe of Muses - 6:30 p.m.

Friday, February 28: Uptown

Krewe of Hermes - 5:30 p.m.
Krewe d’Etat - 6:30 p.m.
Krewe of Morpheus (Follows d’Etat)

Saturday, March 1: Uptown

Krewe of Iris - 11:00 a.m.
Krewe of Tucks - Noon

Saturday, March 1: Mid-City

Krewe of Endymion: 4:00 p.m.

Sunday, March 2: Uptown

Krewe of Okeanos - 11:00 a.m.
Krewe of Mid-City (Follows Okeanos)
Krewe of Thoth - Noon
Krewe of Bacchus - 5:15 p.m.

Monday, March 3: Uptown

Krewe of Proteus - 5:15 p.m.
Krewe of Orpheus - 6:00 p.m.

Tuesday, March 4: Uptown

Krewe of Zulu - 8:00 a.m.
Krewe of Rex - 10:30 a.m.
Krewe of Elks Orleans (Follows Rex)
Krewe of Crescent City (Follows Elks)

Sign up on Better Impact or become a volunteer with the American Red Cross of Louisiana
before January 31.
Have an active Basic Life Support (BLS) CPR certification or higher (not expiring before March 4, 2025).
Attend ONE Mardi Gras First Aid Station training (space may be limited so important to sign-up in advance on Better Impact)

Tues, Jan. 21, Noon - Tulane University School of Medicine (Hutchinson Building - Room 6001, 1430 Tulane Ave, New Orleans, LA 70112)
Thurs, Jan. 23, 8 p.m. - New Orleans EMS Headquarters (2nd floor classroom - 2929 Earhart Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70125)
Sat, Jan. 25, 10 a.m. - New Orleans EMS Headquarters (2nd floor classroom - 2929 Earhart Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70125)

Thurs, Jan. 30, 6 p.m. - New Orleans EMS Headquarters (2nd floor classroom - 2929 Earhart Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70125)
Sat, Feb. 1, 10 a.m. - New Orleans EMS Headquarters (2nd floor classroom - 2929 Earhart Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70125)
Sat, Feb. 1, Noon - New Orleans EMS Headquarters (2nd floor classroom - 2929 Earhart Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70125)

If you are an experienced Mardi Gras First Aid Station volunteer, please consider being a station lead. Email NOMRC@nola.gov for more details. Station lead training will be offered at the following times to volunteer coordinator-approved NOMRC or VIGOR volunteers.

In addition to helping staff the First Aid stations along the Uptown parade routes with CPR-certified volunteers, the American Red Cross will expand our support of Mardi Gras with a new initiative targeted to support our first responders and the “behind the scenes” workers stationed along the parade route, who are so integral to the success of Mardi Gras.

On every parading day of the Mardi Gras season, a Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle will be driven on the actual parade route between parading Krewes. Our exact location will vary on each parade day so be sure to look for the big white truck with the red cross, or “ERV” as we affectionately call it.

Our ERVs will be stocked with assorted comfort items, such as sandwiches, snacks, coffee, water, hard warmers, hand wipes, cooling towels, etc. The items will be distributed to first responders and workers such as NOPD, NOFD, visiting law enforcement, sanitation workers, tractor drivers, military and out of town band members, chaperones and dance teams not accustomed to parading for long distances.