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.
#731fe0
RGB(115, 31, 224) · hsl(266, 76%, 50%)
A medium, vivid violet with a quiet presence.
The Cultivated Arch unto Hedging →#ebcc2d
RGB(235, 204, 45) · hsl(50, 83%, 55%)
A vivid yellow: light, considered, and steady.
The Alcove out Ordinary Dwelling →#1dd72d
RGB(29, 215, 45) · hsl(125, 76%, 48%)
vivid and medium — a green that reads as grounded.
The Acre amidst Muted-gold Winding →#a51d5c
RGB(165, 29, 92) · hsl(332, 70%, 38%)
vivid and medium — a pink that reads as grounded.
Abiding Brook out Brewing →#6a06b2
RGB(106, 6, 178) · hsl(275, 94%, 36%)
This dark violet sits at the vivid end of its family.
The Basin betwixt Self-possessed Spanning →:root { --carnival-1: #731fe0; --carnival-2: #ebcc2d; --carnival-3: #1dd72d; --carnival-4: #a51d5c; --carnival-5: #6a06b2;}