If you’ve never been to the Mardi Gras Festival at Universal Orlando, let me just say this upfront — it is one of the best seasonal events they offer. Between the food booths, live entertainment, parade, and overall atmosphere, it genuinely feels like a celebration inside the parks.

This year we decided to focus mainly on the food booths and purchased the Mardi Gras Food & Beverage Card. We bought the $120 card, which gives you $150 to spend, and honestly it was more than enough for three adults.

We visited four booths: New Orleans, Greece, Puerto Rico, and Austria, and by the end we were completely stuffed.

Between three people, we shared everything, ordered two items at each booth, and still had about $50 left over on the card.

So if you’re wondering whether the card is worth it — the answer is yes.

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New Orleans Booth

We started in New Orleans, which felt like the most fitting way to kick off Mardi Gras.

Cajun Mac & Cheese — 3.5 / 5

This was good, but definitely on the spicier side. If you’re sensitive to heat, just be aware. The flavor was solid, creamy with a Cajun kick, but not something I’d run back for.

Chicken & Sausage Gumbo — 2.9 / 5

Also pretty spicy, and unfortunately the rice was slightly undercooked which threw off the texture. The flavor itself was fine, but it didn’t stand out compared to other booths.

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Greece Booth

Next we ventured over to Greece.

Spanakopita — 3.1 / 5

This was tasty. Crispy outside, flavorful filling, but nothing super memorable compared to other options at the festival.

Chicken Souvlaki — 2.4 / 5

This one was disappointing. The flavor was good, but there was very little chicken inside. It just needed more protein to feel worth it.

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Puerto Rico Booth (One of the Best Stops)

Puerto Rico was easily one of our favorite booths of the day.

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Lechón — 4.2 / 5

This was covered in a delicious sauce and packed with flavor. Tender pork, great seasoning, and just overall really satisfying.

Pionono / Plantain Dish — 4.3 / 5

(This is the mashed plantain with meat in the middle, lightly fried.)
So good. Crispy outside, savory inside, and just something different. Definitely one of the highlights.

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Austria Booth (Highest Rated Overall)

Austria ended up having our favorite food of the day.

Pork Schnitzel — 4.5 / 5 ⭐ (Best of the Day)

This was excellent. Crispy, flavorful, and paired perfectly with the sides. Easily the top item we tried all day.

Goulash — 2.9 / 5

Not bad, but nothing special. After the schnitzel, it just didn’t compare.

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Mardi Gras Parade Experience

One of the best parts of the night was the parade.

We caught a ton of beads — seriously, we were loaded up by the end. The energy was great, the floats were colorful, and the whole crowd gets into it.

There was actually a bit of unexpected excitement when one of the floats hit a curb and the parade had to pause for about 30 minutes. Instead of standing around waiting, we pivoted and ran over to ride Revenge of the Mummy, which ended up being the perfect use of time.

Honestly, it worked out great. We got a ride in, came back, and the parade resumed.

Universal problem-solving at its finest.

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Is Mardi Gras Worth It?

Absolutely.

Between:

• Food booths from around the world
• The parade
• Live entertainment
• Festive atmosphere
• Food card value

…it’s one of the most fun times to visit Universal.

The biggest surprise for me was how full we got sharing everything. Three adults splitting dishes was more than enough.

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Final Thoughts

This event completely lived up to the hype for me.

We had great food, caught tons of beads, rode rides during parade downtime, and just had an overall amazing day.

It’s safe to say this has officially become a yearly tradition.

I will absolutely be going every year.