What It’s Like to Ride on a Universal Mardi Gras Parade Float

I got to be an exclusive part of Universal’s Mardi Gras celebration, and it lived up to the hype!

There are lots of ways to get into the spirit of Mardi Gras with all the fun food booths, concerts, and toe-tapping music to go around Universal Studios Orlando. This year is bigger than ever as Universal celebrates 30 years of Mardi Gras at the park, and there’s one experience that comes with this celebration that we’ll bet you’ve been wondering about!

If you’ve ever wanted to experience Universal celebrations like no one else you’ve got to think out of the box a bit. Universal’s Mardi Gras celebration is one of my favorite times to visit because it’s so lively with the bustling crowds, great selection of international food booths to try, and of course, one of my best-kept secret things you can only do at Universal during THIS season of the year.

Becoming part of Universal’s nightly entertainment though isn’t easy and it’s a VERY popular offering if you don’t already know about it. Universal’s Mardi Gras parade gives park visitors and annual passholders the opportunity to actually ride in the parade and throw out beads to those waiting in the streets and sidewalks below! The only catch to being able to participate is that you’ve got to know WHEN you can sign up!

If you’re an annual passholder, this can start MUCH earlier for you than the actual season. As an AP you’ll want to pay attention to Universal’s emails about Mardi Gras coming up as most of the time they’ll announce an exclusive opportunity for APs to sign up for parade rides on the floats first.

This is done on a first come, first serve basis for annual passholder sign-ups and you’ll only get to choose one date this round. Availability tends to fill up quickly for these spots, too. Once you’ve successfully registered for a ride as an annual passholder, you should expect a confirmation email sent to your AP email address. But, If you’re an AP and don’t get in on this option don’t be too discouraged as this isn’t your only chance.

There’s also an option that will guarantee you a ride on one of the floats for the night! Universal sells Mardi Gras Float Ride & Dine Experience dining packages where you can make a reservation to eat at one of the eight participating table service restaurants, where you’ll enjoy a three-course meal from the full menu per person, and at the end of your meal, you’ll be given a return time with instructions on where to meet for your float ride.

Pricing for this package starts at $89.99 per person and will vary by date and availability, and separate theme park admission is also required. This is the only way to guarantee a ride on a specific night and advance reservations are highly recommended!

So what if you’re not an annual passholder, and don’t want to pay for the chance to ride one of the Universal Mardi Gras floats? No worries… there’s one more option for you to try! Universal day visitors (and even annual passholders who want to ride a second time) can always try the Virtual Ride option. This is an option offered each day on a virtual queue system found within Universal Orlando’s app.

In order to access this option, you’ll need a bit of prep work. First, you’ll need to be certain that you’re scanned into Universal Studios — no, being at Islands of Adventure won’t allow you to use this option. You’ll also need to make sure everyone you’re trying to secure a spot for has their tickets linked in your Universal Orlando app. If you have multiple accounts where tickets are linked separately, you may end up with partial reservations depending on party size and there’s no guarantee you’ll get to ride together if you’re not on the same reservation.

If you have concerns about this, visit Universal’s Guest Services at the front of the park for assistance. Once you’ve made sure of that you’ll need to be certain of where to find the Virtual Ride icon in the Universal app. Going through the option that references Universal Mardi Gras Parade directly, has been the easiest for me. Then, you’ll need to wait for the right time.

Beginning at 2 PM each day and up through about an hour before the parade is set to start, you can click on the Virtual Ride icon to attempt to secure a ride. The app will verify your tickets and your party size and if there’s space available, you’ll be free to (quickly) make your ride reservations. Remember, these are all based on what’s available for the night so if you get an error message that your party size is too large (even for just one person), there may not be any space available this night.

That’s ok though, because you can try this option each night through the remainder of Mardi Gras! So feel free to try to get repeat rides as they’re open!

Alright — finally, you’ve secured your spot and you’re so excited to ride so….what comes next? Well, it’s kind of a lot of hurry up and wait. Depending on the parade start time for the night (which does change, so be sure of your time) you’ll want to arrive at the check-in between 1 hour and 45 minutes to 1 hour ahead of the start time.

The check-in location is by the Animal Actors On Location stage near Dreamworks Land. Once you’ve checked in with the team members, you’ll be asked to fill out a waiver for each ride participant and get a wristband that notes which float you’ll be on for the night.

Now that you’ve gotten the boring stuff out of the way, this is where it gets interesting! You’re off to Wardrobe to be fitted in colored smocks that coordinate with your assigned float.

Once you’ve been “outfitted” you’ll wait on the bleachers of the show area for your float captain to call for you to line up and head backstage and board your float.

Once you’ve gotten situated on the float backstage, they’ll kindly ask you not to take any photos or video until you’ve reached the front of the parade that’s “in” the park. While you’re waiting for your float’s turn to head to the parade start, you’ll be given instructions on how to best toss the beads from the float to the crowd below with the most success.

Take this time to talk to your float captain about their time as a Team Member with Universal and ask about details for the float you’ll be riding that night — I learned that on the beads float this year (which was a new addition to the line up) that past year’s medallions were fitted to the float and we had a lot of fun finding out where our fellow riders were visiting from and which float medallion coordinated to other rider’s birth years.

Then as you hit the gates by the entrance it’s GAME ON! Put those tappin’ toes to good use, throw up a hand to wave below to the people, and toss those colorful beads out to the eager on-lookers!

Don’t forget to have fun while you’re at it, and pose for a few pics of you and your friends while on the float to remember your experience. This is also your fair warning that after tossing beads out through an entire parade, you could wake up to a few sore arm muscles the next day ( or maybe that was just my terrible throwing skills)!

Don’t go far because there are plenty more Universal secrets we’re sharing with YOU! Be sure you’re following along with us for the latest Universal news, updates, and more.

6 Important Rules to Know About Universal Orlando Security for 2025

Have you ever reserved a spot to ride the floats in Universal’s Mardi Gras parade? Tell us all about your experience in the comments below!

Comments (1)