On this tour, we combine history and how-to. We’ll share stories of the holiday’s origins, but your guide will also be a seasoned parade veteran who can help you decide which events to attend and how to have a great time. And if you’re not here for parade days, we can help you get a taste of the season anytime.
Since New Orleans was born, Mardi Gras has grown from a small local holiday to “the biggest free show on earth” - an international destination event and a big part of the city’s year-round identity. Our famous parades have stretched from a one-day affair to a season of five weeks and counting; Mardi Gras beads hang like fruit in the trees all year; making Mardi Gras happen has become a full-time livelihood for artists and organizers all over town. It’s one of our oldest traditions - and we add something new every year.
Knowledgeable tour guide. Liked that there was no pushiness from this tour guide company fairly low key. Our guide provided an excellent historical recap of New Orleans and the Garden District. I highly recommend them.
High Priest Robi is hands down one of the most charismatic humans I’ve ever met. His voodoo tour was so much than the name would suggest: It was a refreshingly honest, entertaining, factually informative and a HEALING storytelling experience. It rained most of our tour but he kept us engaged the entire time. I left the tour having learned so much more than just the voodoo tradition, with a renewed appreciation for life. Thank you for sharing your gifts with us Robi! <3
Daniel was a fantastic guide! He wound New Orleans history into each stop in a way that was organic, interesting, and at times funny. So happy to have a fellow liberal arts degree doing what they love!
High Priest Robi gave the best walking tour I've ever been on. And I've done a lot. His authenticity, enthusiasm (after 20 years of tours) and energy is boundless. I did not expect to be so moved, but I went through all the emotions from joy to sadness (empathy) to calm and peaceful. WOW. Learning about our human race and voodoo as an ancient spiritual practice was humbling and necessary. Thank you.
Sandy was our guide for the voodoo tour. She was entertaining as well as highly knowledgeable about this African religion. We learned so much on the tour that we are leaving New Orleans with an even deeper appreciation for the culture! Thank you Sandy! We truly appreciate you!
Evian was a GREAT guide and lent us a lot of context and clarity to what Voodoo is, where it came from, and how it helped shape the city!! The sliding scale thing is great- check this service out!!!!
Absolutely loved this!! We went on 2022, enjoyed several types. They were very knowledgeable and engaging. We will be returning in December with our 19 and 21 year old and plan on doing the tours all over again!!!!
I did the French quarter tour with Sandy, which was a great way to get to an intro to the city / area and its history. I also did the ghost tour with Roni, which was very entertaining. Highly recommend both!
I recently did the ghost tour led by Lisa, and it was a highlight of my girls trip! It was such an interesting way to explore the French Quarter and learn about its history. Lisa was so engaging and knowledgeable. She took time to answer our questions at each stop and she was just a wealth of information! I would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting New Orleans. I'd even do it again on a future visit!
Excellent walking tour of the Garden District. Our guide Sean was super knowledgeable and entertaining. Highly recommend grabbing him as a guide, plus reserving a Sunday afternoon tour. Will be using Free Tours by Foot next trip back in NOLA.
We took the French Quater Food tour with Roni. It’s totally worthy of our time. Roni is knowledgeable about history and culture. The spots he brought us to are historic and represent real NOLA. Very family friendly tour, highly recommended
We had such an inciteful and fun tour. Sandy was our guide and was not was she funny, she really knew her stuff! You can tell she's done her history homework!
Did the French Quarter tour with Sandy who is knowledgeable and has a terrific sense of humour and wit. She’s a wonderful tour leader! Would highly recommend this tour!
Took a voodoo tour last week with Sandy and it was phenomenal. Starting in Armstrong park with the drum circles in Congo Square where we learned the significance of both voodoo and that space. Then we went through the French quarter and learned much more about voodoo practices. Sandy was extremely knowledgeable, provided lots of information and answered questions along the way. Highly recommend the tour and Sandy!
Don't miss the opportunity to learn about the strength and resilience of African people, as well as the truth and beauty of the Vodou religion from High Priest Robi. So informative and fascinating, you will not be disappointed. Thank you so much, Robi!
My husband and I highly recommend the Treme tour with Evian. It was an outstanding and very informative experience, and we are grateful that Evian provided us with so much knowledge about the city's and this particular neighbourhood's history. We also very much enjoyed the ghost tour with Lisa. It was a really interesting and entertaining activity and a fun thing to do.
My wife and I did the two hour garden district tour. Sean was our tour guide and was simply outstanding. Very knowledgeable, passionate, and entertaining with his sense of humor . He did not miss a beat with all the history, past and present, of this amazing section of New Orleans.
Lisa is a great storyteller! My family (including teen boys) had a fantastic time hearing the ghost stories around the French Quarter! We highly recommend the tour!
Excellent tour of the Garden District with Andrew F. He was smart, engaging and knowledgeable. Not only was he well-versed in local lore, he also gave great recommendations for eateries and happenings around town.
I watched several of FTBF’s videos on YouTube before my first trip to New Orleans, and it really helped me shape my holiday and made me feel more confident as a single female traveler. I was also impressed that they had tips like tourist traps to avoid - they aren’t afraid to call out places that aren’t great. When I arrived I did one of their audio tours of the Garden District and it was really good, and I was impressed with how the sound linked up to Google Maps etc. Thanks team!
Lisa did an excellent job sharing entertaining stories during the ghost tour. My daughter usually thinks walking tours are boring, but thought this one was super interesting.Daniel did a fabulous job on the Garden District walking tour. It was well paced and he shared relevant information about the area's history.
We absolutely loved our Voodoo tour! Sandy was an amazing and respectful tour guide and we all felt like we left the tour with a better understanding of NOLA history. Everyone on our 9 person bachelorette trip really enjoyed our tour and would highly recommend to any other large groups looking for something fun and historical to do in the city
First time to NOLA and took the Voodoo tour with Sandi- so great! She is an astute historian and explained the nuance of this fascinating and confusing religion that is often maligned and misunderstood. I love this city!!!
I've done multiple free tours by foot, and Robi's voodoo tour, was the absolute BEST tour I've ever had. It was more than just a tour, it was truly a healing experience with an actual Voodoo priest. Get ready to get enlightened, and learn a lot about science, history and religions. Just go with an open mind and be kind to the absolute best guide in the city ❤️ I recommend this tour to everyone !
Sandy was a wonderfully informative tour guide. I would recommend this tour to anyone who wants an in-depth, historically accurate tour about voodoo and New Orleans cultural history.
We did a Friday morning voodoo tour with High Priest Robi, and he was great! So knowledgable, and such a character. Highly recommend you spend time with him if you really want to learn what voodoo is all about, and what it is not.
I did the Voodoo tour with high priest Robi and it was incredible! An absolute must do. He's so interesting and dynamic, one of the highlights of our trip.
Just finished the ghost tour with Lisa! She was amazing!!! So knowledgeable and honestly couldn’t have asked for a better guide! Would have never known half of what I now know!!!
The voodoo tour by Sandy in the French quarter was great! I learned a lot about the voodoo religion from her and was fascinated to better understand the history, what is myth, and more about the New Orleans history, too. Definitely recommend.
I did the ghost tour with Lisa and had a great time! Lisa took us through a few spots, and it was such a delight to hear the stories accompanying the sites. Lisa made sure we had plenty of opportunities to take the photos we wanted and to answer all the questions we had - highly recommend this if you’re in New Orleans!
This tour was a nice way to understand the history behind the Garden District and to avoid just wandering around and pointing at pretty houses. Our guide was very knowledgeable but sometimes a bit too opinionated- and anyone who can confidently say they're not a Beyoncé fan to a large group is certainly courageous.
Looking for fun, information-packed walking tours of New Orleans? Sign up to hang out with Andrew F. on one of his Free Tours by Foot. I Iearned a great deal about the history of the French Quarter, the evolution of jazz, how local visual artists rose to prominence and the stories behind some literary greats' connections to New Orleans on Andrew's Music, Arts and More tour. Next time I'm in the Crescent City, I'll be doing another of Andrew's tours.
We had Kayla, she was super engaging and answered all of the groups numerous questions. Had a great time, laughed a lot, and learned a lot.
On this tour, we combine history and how-to. We’ll share stories of the holiday’s origins, but your guide will also be a seasoned parade veteran who can help you decide which events to attend and how to have a great time. And if you’re not here for parade days, we can help you get a taste of the season anytime.
Sights and subjects we cover on the Mardi Gras tour include:
The Presbytere, home of Louisiana’s foremost collection of historic Mardi Gras artifacts
Origins of the holiday and different ways we’ve celebrated across the centuries
Tips on attending parades and guidance on any that may be happening during your stay
Ways to see Mardi Gras parade floats and costumes any time of the year
Places to enjoy king cake, our seasonal pastry
How to get costumes, masks, or throws - or make your own
Traditions from across the city and state, including Mardi Gras Indians, Skull and Bone Gangs, Baby Dolls, gay Mardi Gras balls, Cajun Mardi Gras, and more
Samples of Mardi Gras music
Tour information
Reservations: REQUIRED. Groups of 10 or more persons must visit our group inquiry page.
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Where: The tour begins in front of the Presbytere in Jackson Square, at the heart of the French Quarter. (map)
Duration: Approximately 1.5 to 2 hours. Approximately 1 mile in length.
Cost: name-your-own-price tour. Groups of 6-9 must prepay $10/person. Groups of 10 or more must organize a private tour and can read about our options for groups.
And much, much more
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