Royal purple, Mardi Gras gold, and vivid green — the three sacred colours of a celebration that turns the world upside down for one last time before Lent.
Carnival — from the Latin carne vale, farewell to meat — is the last great feast before the austerity of Lent, and its colours reflect that urgency. The Mardi Gras palette of purple, gold, and green was formalised in New Orleans in 1872, each colour assigned a meaning: purple for justice, gold for power, green for faith. But Carnival exists in hundreds of forms worldwide — the feathered brilliance of Rio de Janeiro, the painted faces of Venice, the street parties of Trinidad and Tobago — and in each incarnation, the palette is vivid, saturated, and unrestrained. These are colours chosen by people who know the grey season is coming and intend to use every colour available before it arrives.
#6116b6
RGB(97, 22, 182) · hsl(268, 78%, 40%)
A vivid violet: medium, considered, and steady.
Dusty Atoll without Enclosing →#f4c52a
RGB(244, 197, 42) · hsl(46, 90%, 56%)
A light, vivid yellow with a quiet presence.
Copper Canyon Against the Guarding →#45de4f
RGB(69, 222, 79) · hsl(124, 70%, 57%)
This light green sits at the vivid end of its family.
What the Quiet Bluff by Kindling →#dd0e75
RGB(221, 14, 117) · hsl(330, 88%, 46%)
A vivid pink: medium, considered, and steady.
The Solid Atoll alongside the Measuring →#6b1cb5
RGB(107, 28, 181) · hsl(271, 73%, 41%)
This medium violet sits at the vivid end of its family.
The Hewn Alcove alongside the Entwining →:root { --carnival-1: #6116b6; --carnival-2: #f4c52a; --carnival-3: #45de4f; --carnival-4: #dd0e75; --carnival-5: #6b1cb5;}