Where to watch Mardi Gras parade?

[BlueFairy]

We’ll be focusing solely on WW and walking over from HE. We would like to get some of the Mardi Gras food or may keep our reservation at Finnegans. Then hoping to lineup around 7:00 for the parade with an eye to having a quick exit back to WW for the rest of the evening. Where is a good spot to try and watch? DD11 is very short but we don’t have to be front row.

 

[schumigirl]

There’s not really a bad spot to watch it.........further back might be better as floats are high and you may catch more beads........it’s not like a Disney parade, you don’t need to be there half an hour before to get a spot........we’ve never struggled and saunter up maybe 10 minutes before it starts.

Try along the road where Mummy/Louie’s pizza place is and you can easily get back to Potter from there, lots of folks do that.

 

[JaxDad]

I agree with @schumigirl.

 

[BlueFairy]

Wonderful! Thanks so much!

 

[Silvermist999]

We’ll be focusing solely on WW and walking over from HE. We would like to get some of the Mardi Gras food or may keep our reservation at Finnegans. Then hoping to lineup around 7:00 for the parade with an eye to having a quick exit back to WW for the rest of the evening. Where is a good spot to try and watch? DD11 is very short but we don’t have to be front row.

We just watched the Mardi Gras parade for the first time this past Friday night. We had no idea where to stand, but we knew we wanted to be able to go on more rides towards the back of the park after the parade.

One staff member we talked to gave us really good advice, she said the parade was really slow moving and suggested we watch near the start of the parade so we could go on rides sooner, which is exactly what we did. People already lined the parade route sitting along the curbs close to 1/2 hour before parade start. We stood close to the annual pass holders viewing area, at the start of the parade and we were so glad we did, we had a great view and had so much fun catching tons of beads. We stood right behind the people on the curb, so second row. There were some unhappy people behind us who showed up later complaining when my son kept catching all the beads.

 

[BlueFairy]

We just watched the Mardi Gras parade for the first time this past Friday night. We had no idea where to stand, but we knew we wanted to be able to go on more rides towards the back of the park after the parade.

One staff member we talked to gave us really good advice, she said the parade was really slow moving and suggested we watch near the start of the parade so we could go on rides sooner, which is exactly what we did. People already lined the parade route sitting along the curbs close to 1/2 hour before parade start. We stood close to the annual pass holders viewing area, at the start of the parade and we were so glad we did, we had a great view and had so much fun catching tons of beads. We stood right behind the people on the curb, so second row. There were some unhappy people behind us who showed up later complaining when my son kept catching all the beads.

Very helpful. Thanks!!

 

[Breezy2]

As a veteran bead thrower, we've been fortunate to get selected multiple times each year, the staff members suggestion to stand at the beginning of the parade route is great one. The parade does move slow and it will get you back on the rides ahead of everyone else and still catch a lot of beads. Speaking of which-doesn't matter where you stand, just put your arms up in the air, wave them around, be enthusiastic, dance to the music, don't be afraid to jump for the beads, and you'll stand out from the curb sitters. We try to throw them further back as Universal staff doesn't want guests running into the road in front of the floats. The crazier you are the more beads you get because you catch our eye and we can and do throw beads directly at specific party goers who obviously are in the spirit as we are. "Feet don't fail me now"and "laissez les bon temps rouler"

 

[SarahWeasley]

Dumb question - I found a map of the parade route but I'm not positive which direction it goes for the Mardi Gras parade. It starts by the Horror Make-Up Show, and then does it go toward Transformers and New York, or toward the T2 theater and the park entrance?

 

[schumigirl]

Dumb question - I found a map of the parade route but I'm not positive which direction it goes for the Mardi Gras parade. It starts by the Horror Make-Up Show, and then does it go toward Transformers and New York, or toward the T2 theater and the park entrance?

It comes out and heads towards where T2 was, past the park entrance and round from there.....