We have the need… the need for beads. March 1 is Mardi Gras — also known as “Fat Tuesday,” which is the direct translation from French. Famously known in the US as a major event in New Orleans, it’s a celebration of indulgence on the eve of Lent, featuring fabulous food + flying jewelry. ⚜️

Don’t sweat it if you can’t make it down to the bayou — you can celebrate right here, 705 miles away from the French Quarter. These LOU spots have plenty of Big Easy flair to spare, with traditional desserts, tunes, and much more. Laissez les bons temps rouler. 🎉

Have your King Cake + eat it, too. 👑

Wiltshire Pantry, 901 Barret Ave. | Order by Thurs., Feb. 24 at 5 p.m. for pickup on March 1 | $35+ | Choose between two King Cakes — one with cream cheese filling and vanilla icing or a braided praline and bourbon cake with caramel frosting.
Plehn’s Bakery, 3940 Shelbyville Rd. | Available through March 1 | $28.95+ | Grab a traditional King Cake + cookies and cupcakes daily through Fat Tuesday.

Where the soirees are 🎷

Mardi Gras Bar Crawl | Sat., Feb. 26 | 3 p.m. | 4th Street Live! | $13+ | See Fourth Street transformed into Bourbon Street at this Party Gras.
Mardi Gras & King Cake 10W-40 Release | Sat., Feb. 26 | 2-6 p.m. | Hi-Wire Brewing, 642 Baxter Ave. | Celebrate carnival season with a new stout beer release + find the “baby” when you purchase a 4-pack and get a gift card for $10-100.
5th Annual Mardi Gras celebration | Tues., March 1 | 5-9 p.m. | The Blind Squirrel, 592 N English Station Rd. | Sample eats from a Cajun-inspired menu including a shrimp pizza-boy, red beans and rice + Pat O’Briens hurricanes.
1792 Dinner: Bourbon Country to Bourbon Street | Tues., March 1 | 6-8:30 p.m. | $120+ | Kentucky Derby Museum | Mardi Gras meets Derby with live music, bourbon tastings + NOLA-style food.
Lou Oyster Cult - Fat Tuesday | Tues., March 1 | 6:30 p.m. | The Merryweather, 1101 Lydia St. | Free to attend | Try the raw bar, cajun and creole dishes, cocktails + let the good times roll.
Fat Tuesday at Brew and Sip Coffee Bar | Wed., March 2 | 6:30 a.m.-3 p.m. | Brew and Sip Coffee Bar, 3800 Shepherdsville Rd. | Free | Let the good times roll at this event + prizes will be given to king cake winners.
Fifth Annual Beignet Bash | Tues., March 1 | 5-9 p.m. | Old Louisville Brewery | $3+ suggested donation | Help OLB raise $3,000 to support people with developmental disabilities by buying slices of king cake or Cafe du Monde beignets — if you get the baby in your slice of cake, you win a prize.

N’awlins-style cocktails + dishes 🍹

North of Bourbon, 935 Goss Ave. | Open Tues.-Sat. | 11:30 a.m.-12 a.m. | You don’t get more NOLA than this in Derby City — its menu features classics from file gumbo to new takes like peppered catfish nuggets.
Doc Crow’s Southern Smokehouse & Raw Bar, 127 W. Main St. | Open Daily | 11 a.m.-10 p.m. | This upscale surf and turf menu has a range of Southern dishes from the coast to the farm including seasoned pork rinds, fried okra + pan-seared lump crab cakes with house remoulade sauce.
Selena's at Willow Lake Tavern, 10609 La Grange Rd. | Open Daily | 11 a.m.-9 p.m. | This Anchorage-based, Creole-Sicilian restaurant has its own New Orleans-themed section on the menu with jambalaya, chicken and shrimp étouffée + red beans and rice.
Lou Lou Food & Drink, 108 Sears Ave. | Open Daily | 11 a.m.-9 p.m. | This St. Matthews staple serves traditional NOLA dishes as well as a few eccentric takes on Cajun fare including crawfish linguine + a Cajun short rib melt sandwich.
Pier 17 Cajun Seafood Restaurant & Bar, 1975 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy | Open Daily | 11 a.m.-9 p.m. | Get your seafood fix from fried shrimp and frog legs to the Cajun dusted oyster meal with cheese grits + crawfish étouffée

Pro tip: Want to create even more local flavor this Mardi Gras? Use Prohibition Craft Spirits’ rum to concoct a potent Hurricane, topped with the traditional orange slices, cherry + a cored pineapple from Paul’s Fruit Market. Now you have a LOU Storm.