Did you know it's already Mardi Gras season? While technically "Mardi Gras" refers to the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, which for 2026 means Tuesday, February 17th, 2027, the Mardi Gras season is celebrated from the time after Epiphany (January 6th, 12 days after Christmas) until the day before Ash Wednesday! And even more fun for Siouxland Families: our sister city is Lake Charles, Louisiana, which is basically the capital of family-friendly Mardi Gras! I reached out to the Lake Charles tourism office in early 2020 to first write this post, and they responded with tons of Southern hospitality and great ideas for celebrating Mardi Gras with kids. I added a few of my own, and I hope they inspire you to have a great day with your family: