For the younger audience, Family Gras is a two-day celebration just outside the raucous of downtown New Orleans. With crowds surpassing 80,000 each year, it’s big family fun that captures the spirit of Carnival. Families can enjoy Mardi Gras parades, authentic New Orleans cuisine, and free outdoor concerts by both national and local artists. Past performers include big names like Taylor Swift and Wilson Philips. It is our advice to avoid the French Quarter with children. The full-size parades do not pass through this area and it is where the ‘beads get thrown’ at the more mature celebrations.