NEW ORLEANS — The biggest parades are still to come, and already, many bars and restaurants are seeing an uptick in customers thanks to Carnival crowds. It is a welcome boost after years of trouble for local businesses.
The most recent was 2023’s record-hot summer. “All bartenders know in the middle of the summertime, business goes down,” said Princesse Stephaney, longtime bartender at Mag’s 940 Bar. But this past one was slower than usual. Owner Paul Chiriaco said even though locals continued to come in, the heat kept tourists away, and “between the electric bills and the water bills, it was challenging.”
Luckily, the bar is close to some major parade routes, and Carnival season has already brought some crowds through the door. “It won’t get us all the way there, but it’s going to help,” said Chiriaco.
That is true of many local businesses. In early January, New Orleans leaders called attention to a study predicting Carnival season could bring $900 million to the city. It also found that Carnival season may make up 3% of the city’s Gross Domestic Product, or GDP.
The heads of Wasabi Sushi in the Marigny know the difference a parade can make. Manager Victor Nguy said Chewbacchus used to roll in front of the restaurant and that night was always “really busy.” Two years ago, the route changed, taking the crowds with it.
The location still brings in plenty of parade-goers, though. The restaurant was opened before Hurricane Katrina, and Nguy said even during the previous slow summer, business stayed mostly steady.
But, like many restaurants, it is still recovering from the pandemic. “A normal summer would be really busy, you’d be seeing people out walking around, you’d get a lot of tourists coming in,” said Nguy. “After COVID it really simmered down.”
He expects the Carnival season boost will be another step toward normal. “It’ll be good to see people coming back out for Mardi Gras,” he said.
And the busiest is yet to come.
Saturday Krewe du Vieux rolled through the Bywater, Marigny, French Quarter, and the CBD. It marked two weeks until the biggest parade weekend of the season. Like the rest of the city’s thousands of hospitality workers, Princess Stephaney of Mag’s said she is looking forward to “lots of wonderful costumed people laughing, having fun, and handing over some of their hard earned money so that I can pay my mortgage.”
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