Little Christmas, also known as Epiphany, is January 6. That's the official end of Christmas and, side note, the day I feel like it's okay to start taking down Christmas decorations. So Christmas season ends on January 6 and Carnival season starts right after. Many tourists will say they're going to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, but they actually mean Carnival. Carnival is everything that happens from the day after Little Christmas until Fat Tuesday; Mardi Gras happens on Fat Tuesday.