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Mardi Gras (also known as Shrove Tuesday) is the final day of Carnival or Shrovetide before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday", reflecting the practice of the last night of consuming rich, fatty foods in preparation for the fasting season of Lent.

Mardi Gras is a centuries-old tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages. It was initially celebrated by European Christians as a way to mark the beginning of Lent and to prepare for the fasting period of Easter. Today, it is one of the world's most colourful and vibrant festivals, featuring party-like parades, elaborate costumes, lively music, and indulgent feasting.

Related popular practices are associated with Carnival celebrations before the fasting and religious obligations associated with the penitential season of Lent. In countries such as the United Kingdom, Mardi Gras is more usually known as Pancake Day or (traditionally) Shrove Tuesday, derived from the word shrive, meaning "to administer the sacrament of confession to; to absolve".

Mardi Gras’ origins can be traced back to types of ancient pagan festivals and medieval European traditions of Saturnalia and Lupercalia, celebrations held in anticipation of spring. Upon the arrival of Christianity to Europe, these festivals morphed into religious holidays, as it was easier to combine rather than abolish the region’s established traditions into the new religion. These specific festivals' dates coincided with the Easter holiday. Thus, Mardi Gras became the six-week prelude to Lent, the 40-day period of fasting that precedes Easter.

Traditions
The festival season varies from city to city, as some traditions, such as the one in New Orleans, Louisiana, consider Mardi Gras to stretch the entire period from Twelfth Night (the last night of Christmas which begins Epiphany) to Ash Wednesday. Others treat the final three-day period before Ash Wednesday as the Mardi Gras.

Other countries also hold Carnivals around this time, including Rio de Janeiro and Venice.
Sydney Australia holds a Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade, this year on 2 March