History Main / ItsAlwaysMardiGrasInNewOrleans

This goes for any city or country with a famous festival; for instance, a large number of episodes set in Mexico take place during ''Di­a de los Muertos'' or ''Cinco de Mayo'', a large number of episodes set in [[TorosYFlamenco Spain]] take place in Pamplona during the ''Fiesta de San Fermin'' (of "the running of the bulls" fame, complete with seemingly obligatory ThunderingHerd of ''toros''), and any episode set in Brazil or Venice wanders into Carneval. And while the trope isn't really applicable to [[BigApplesauce New York City]], there are still a disproportionate number of stories set in the city during the Feast of San Gennaro, or during the Macy's Parade, or in Times Square on New Year's Eve. San Francisco seemingly hosts an excessive number of Pride Marches; one might think that the entire LGBT community is unemployed, or that they have somehow managed to make parade-marching into a source of income. It's also usually Chinese New Year whenever a show's characters end up in Chinatown, and cities with large Irish communities -- Boston and Chicago, for example -- play host to frequent St. Patrick's Day Parades. However, it's never Bon when characters visit Japan, nor is it the 4th of July when characters visit America...

* ''WesternAnimation/{{X-Men Evolution}}'' has a season four episode where Rogue and Gambit go to [[TheBigEasy New Orleans]], and it just happens to be during Mardi Gras.

[[folder:Film]]
* In ''Dracula 2000'', one of the main characters, Mary Van Helsing works in New Orleans. Dracula appears to her just during the Mardi Gras.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Rio}}'', all the time they spend there just happens to perfectly time up with the countdown to Carnival.

* ''Disney/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'', which is set in New Orleans, primarily takes place during the last three days of Mardi Gras. Justified, in that the event is actually vital to the plot.
** And besides, no one would forgive Disney if they made an animated musical set in The Big Easy and DIDN'T include a Mardi Gras sequence.

* ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven'' takes place in [[TheBigEasy New Orleans]], and as such has the obligatory Mardi Gras scene.

This goes for any city or country with a famous festival; for instance, a large number of episodes set in Mexico take place during ''Di­a de los Muertos'' or ''Cinco de Mayo'', a large number of episodes set in [[TorosYFlamenco Spain]] take place in Pamplona during the ''Fiesta de San Fermin'' (of "the running of the bulls" fame, complete with seemingly obligatory ThunderingHerd of ''toros''), and any episode set in Brazil or Venice wanders into Carneval. And while the trope isn't really applicable to [[BigApplesauce New York City]], there are still a disproportionate number of stories set in the city during the Feast of San Gennaro, or during the Macy's Parade, or in Times Square on New Year's Eve. San Francisco seemingly hosts an excessive number of Pride Marches; one might think that the entire LGBT community is unemployed, or that they have somehow managed to make parade-marching into a source of income. (Hey, it's the U.S.A., and California. It's what we ''do''.) It's also usually Chinese New Year whenever a show's characters end up in Chinatown, and cities with large Irish communities -- Boston and Chicago, for example -- play host to frequent St. Patrick's Day Parades. However, it's never Bon when characters visit Japan, nor is it the 4th of July when characters visit America...

It's worth noting that "''Mardi Gras''" is French for "Fat Tuesday," and that it originated as a Catholic tradition of feasting before the fasting period known as Lent, which starts at midnight as Fat Tuesday becomes Ash Wednesday. It did not originate in New Orleans, and the American tradition most viewers are familiar with actually originated in Mobile, Alabama. It is part of a much larger worldwide Carnival event, and TheOtherWiki has a page on it [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival here]].

* Averted in ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOnDeck''. The ship stops in New Orleans and Woody appears in Mardi Gras attire asking everyone if they're ready for the celebration. Cody tells him no because Mardi Gras isn't for another 3 months.

* This trope exists in the Netherlands as well, particularly for the southern provinces. People from the northern provinces celebrate "carnaval" ''maybe'' one day a year. In the south, it can last ''weeks'', leading to a lot of jokes about how carnaval never ends south of the great rivers. Some people in the southernmost province, Limburg, actually do tend to spend all year preparing for the yearly carnaval, so the trope is partly justified.

* In ''{{Rio}}'', all the time they spend there just happens to perfectly time up with the countdown to Carnival.

-->Wiggum: There any parties going on today?
-->Skinner: It's not really a party town, chief. Though if I remember correctly, the locals do occasionally hold a function called...smarty...something.

* ''Disney/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'', which is set in New Orleans, primarily takes place during the last three days of Mardi Gras. Justified, in that the event is actually vital to the plot.
** And besides, no one would forgive Disney if they made an animated musical set in The Big Easy and DIDN'T include a Mardi Gras sequence.

* Averted in ScoobyDooOnZombieIsland . There isn't a single mention of Mardi Gras in the entire film.

* In the module ''Goldfinger II - The Man with the Midas Touch'' for the ''JamesBond 007'' role-playing game, the agents find themselves in Pamplona during the Running of the Bulls.

* Film/JamesBond:

* The LarryCohen films ''God Told Me To'' and ''Film/ManiacCop'' are both set in New York, and both prominently feature the St. Patrick's Day parade.

* In season one of ''{{Treme}}'', an entire episode is devoted to Mardi Gras 2006, the first after Hurricane Katrina. However, the season's actual climax comes on St. Joseph's Day.

* Subverted in a ''LuckyLuke'' story where Luke chases the Dalton brothers through the Chinatown of Virginia City, Nevada. It's not Chinese New Year - in fact, it's seven months away - but [[SeriousBusiness the locals insist that it's important to rehearse]] [[CrazyPrepared seven months in advance]].

** ''Film/{{Thunderball}}'' has a Junkanoo ("Our local Mardi Gras") scene in the Bahamas.
*** For what it's worth, [[{{Jonn}} we]] generally have Junkanoo on Boxing Day (Dec 26th), and New Years, (barring delays) but currently have smaller performances yearly for tourists.

* Averted in ''TheAdventuresOfBayouBilly'', where despite the game playing straight [[TheBigEasy many of the usual New Orleans tropes]], it doesn't take place during Mardi Gras.

* The first stage of ''[[SlyCooper Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves]]'' has Sly foil the plan of Octavio, an opera singer turned mob boss, to destroy buildings in Venice, Italy, to make people opera fans again on the first day of Carnaval.

* ''MonkeyIsland2''. "Son, it's always Mardi Gras on Booty Island."

* The movie ''[[MrBean Mr Bean's Holiday]]'' is set in the end of June, but Mr Bean still manages to visit Cannes during the famous film festival. Which happens in May.

* Subverted in the film ''{{Avalon}}'' when the family patriarch arrives in Baltimore as an immigrant on the Fourth of July and thinks that the fireworks and festivities are for him.

-->-- '''ThingsMrWelchIsNoLongerAllowedToDoInAnRPG'''

* In one ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'' story, Batman and secret agent King Faraday pursue Two-Face from Gotham City to New Orleans where he is planning to sell a stolen missile code to a foreign power. They arrive in the middle of Mardi Gras. {{Justified}} as Two-Face had picked this time and place for the meeting as it meant he could walk around in public and everyone would assume his face was [[NotAMask a mask]].

* When [[Comicbook/{{X-men}} The X-men's]] [[TheBigEasy Gambit]] first appears, part of the story takes place at a Mardi Gras parade.

** Averted in ''Film/LiveAndLetDie'', of all things. It's actually not Mardi Gras when Bond visits TheBigEasy. The parades of people dancing on Bourbon Street are [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz_funeral funeral processions]].

* ''Déjà Vu'', starting Denzel Washington, is set in New Orleans. At the beginning of the movie, a ferry on the Mississippi River blows up on Mardi Gras Day.
* In ''The Pelican Brief'', starring Julia Roberts, her character gets caught in the middle of a huge Mardi Gras-like celebration on Bourbon Street, thus adding to the myth that New Orleans = Bourbon St. and there's a Mardi Gras celebration there every day.