Event Profile for
Mardi Gras Parade & Street Fair
Join us Sunday, February 15, 2026 for the Nevada City Mardi Gras Festivities!
Parade starts at 2pm | Street Fair from 12pm-4pm
Event Details:
Event: Mardi Gras Parade & Street Fair
Date: 2/15/2026 12:00:00 PM
As described in SFGate: In Northern California, you typically wont hear a Southern-style brass band second-lining through quaint streets while ?General Doo Dah? is tossing beads.
You also wont see a group of 12 women, dubbed ?the Merry Widows,? twirling and sashaying themselves in front of revelers and excited onlookers while leading a procession of hundreds.
But somehow, in Nevada City, youll discover one of the most riotous Mardi Gras-inspired celebrations outside of the American South, and its been happening since the mid-1990s. For nearly two decades since, Nevada City has been as close to an actual Mardi Gras celebration that youll find anywhere outside of the American South, and its something that the residents of the city are proud of, as both a form of economic boost and social recognition.
The small gold-mining town was once the third largest city in the state behind San Francisco and Sacramento during the Gold Rush, though it currently only boasts a population of about 3,000 residents. Nowadays, it maintains a charming small town feel while receiving visitors in search of outdoor adventures and weekend sightseeing ? one of which is the largest Mardi Gras to be found along the West Coast.
Galleries
(After this event, gallery photos be may posted.
Archived events and galleries will be available.)