To alert the world that Mardi Gras and the carnival season are upon us, Rex, King of Carnival issues his proclamation via the New Orleans tourism industry to the world. The city makes the announcement, created by the Rex organization’s School of Design, to citizens of the planet, beckoning them to attend the 2020 Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

Carnival begins each year January 6, known as “Twelfth Night,” and lasts through Mardi Gras day, which falls on February 25, 2020.

“It is a great honor to announce the city’s most famous event with Rex, King of Carnival,” said Stephen Perry, president and CEO of New Orleans & Company. “The Rex 2020 Royal proclamation continues a carnival tradition more than a century old.”

The Rex organization began creating its Royal Invitation in 1872 when a group of young New Orleans leaders decided to issue invitations and a proclamation, inviting all to come to the Crescent City to join in its unique Mardi Gras celebration. In the days before mass media, broadcast, and tourism industries, the beautiful art posters and brochures were distributed in railroad stations, plastered on train cars, posted in centres of commerce, and placed in public buildings around the nation in major US cities.

The 2020 Royal Invitation incorporates artwork from 1886, inviting visitors to “gather, from far and near, to join in the many celebrations and processions which will shortly unfold under the joyful Carnival banner.”

Each year, New Orleans & Company issues an electronic version of the Invitation to the nation and to international destinations, as well as over 60,000 travel trade professionals and tour operators.