Mardi Gras season is rolling back into South Alabama for 2026, bringing a festive mix of parades, beads, Moon Pies, and yes, extra traffic.
While celebrations begin early along the Gulf Coast, including Dauphin Island’s long-standing tradition as one of the first communities to parade each season, downtown Mobile’s parade schedule gets underway Friday, Jan. 30 with the Condé Cavaliers, marking the start of a busy stretch of parades in the city where Mardi Gras in America began.
Long before any other place in the United States, Mobile established the Mardi Gras tradition, and today that celebration stretches well beyond city limits.
With parades drawing large crowds across Mobile and Baldwin counties, traffic management becomes an important regional effort.
ALDOT’s goal this Mardi Gras season is simple: keep traffic moving safely and efficiently across the entire Southwest Region, not just in downtown Mobile.
In addition to Mobile parades, festivities throughout Baldwin County affect major state highways, including SR-59, US-98, and SR-182. ALDOT will be monitoring and adjusting traffic signals along these corridors to help motorists get to and from parades with fewer delays.
For the fourth consecutive year, ALDOT and City of Mobile traffic engineers will operate a dedicated Mardi Gras traffic monitoring center for downtown Mobile parades.
From this hub, engineers track traffic conditions in real time and adjust signal timing as needed, before, during, and especially after parades, to help keep vehicles moving as smoothly as the celebration itself.
The City of Mobile also uses this traffic data to support its Mardi Gras text alert service, providing up-to-the-minute information on parking, weather, and parade-day updates. To sign up, visit www.cityofmobile.org/mardigras and text MOBILEMARDIGRAS to 91896.
There’s also good news for drivers this season: the new parking deck at 200 S. Claiborne Street will be open for the 2026 Mardi Gras season, offering additional downtown parking beginning January 30.
Throughout Mardi Gras, ALDOT will actively monitor traffic signals across both Mobile and Baldwin counties so motorists can focus on enjoying the festivities rather than sitting in gridlock.
Grab your beads, plan, and enjoy Mardi Gras where it all began, while ALDOT works behind the scenes to keep the good times rolling safely across the entire region.
