Carnival will never be the same. On Wednesday, Arthur Hardy, New Orleans’ number one Mardi Gras authority , announced that he plans to retire on Fat Tuesday 2026.

Via email, Hardy said that after the upcoming Carnival season, he’ll no longer contribute to his popular, annual Mardi Gras Guide magazine, will no longer offer his expert opinion in radio and television interviews, and will otherwise step away from his 49-year career.

“It has been a great ride,” Hardy wrote. “But the time is right.”

As a New Orleans native, Hardy had loved the city-wide Carnival celebration since he was a kid. He became better acquainted with the workings of parades when he began marching as a school band member in 1958, and he became even more well versed in Carnival customs when he stepped into the ro

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