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Mardi Gras Mardi Gras has been celebrated in New Orleans since the late eighteenth century. Mardi Gras came to America in 1699 when the French explorer Iberville sailed into the Gulf of Mexico. He traveled up the mouth of the Mississippi River where he set up a camp on the west bank of the river. This site was located sixty miles south of where New Orleans is today. On this day Mardi Gras was being celebrated in France. In honor of this important day, Iberville named this site Point du Mardi Gras. While under French rule, masked balls and festivals were common in New Orleans. A few years later Spanish rule took over New Orleans, banning the balls and festivals. In 1827 street masking was legalized, and this began the tradition of Mardi Gras as we know it today. Mardi Gras is celebrated on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is also known as Fat Tuesday. This name was given to Mardi Gras because people would eat as much as possible before fasting for Lent. The period of Lent is