Island Style Mardi Gras - Galveston CVB Press Room

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MARDI GRAS GALVESTON
Celebrate island-style
HOUSTON VS. DALLAS
Which Texas city is better?
ROLLS-ROYCE
Rolls out Ghost Series II
T H E D E F I N I T I V E G U I D E TO H O U STO N
TIME FOR THE
RODEO!
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
is some serious fun!
Photos: Galveston Island Convention and Visitors Bureau
BY LEAH CAST
It’s a party to rival New Orleans at Texas’ largest Fat Tuesday
celebration. Held in Galveston, this bash, known for its
lavish parades and beachfront revelry, is in its 104th year.
his Mardi Gras, “laissez les
bon temps roulez” (let the
good times roll) with sand
between your toes at the third
largest Mardi Gras celebration
in the U.S., held Feb. 6 –17 on
Galveston Island. This year’s
event will include more than 30
concerts, 22 parades, 20 balcony
parties and several elegant,
masked balls.
Located just 50 miles south of
Houston, Galveston has hosted its
annual “Mardi Gras! Galveston”
for nearly 150 years. The festival
draws about 300,000 attendees
for the two-week celebration that
precedes Lent.
On opening night of Mardi
Gras, historic downtown
Galveston comes to life with
colorful floats, lively tunes played
by marching bands and crowds
shouting for beads. The first
event, the George P. Mitchell
Mardi Gras Parade, kicks off at
7 p.m., followed by the Funky
Uptown Umbrella Brigade, in
which more than 3,000 umbrella
dancers are expected to march.
T
Top: Galveston’s annual Mardi Gras celebration is the third
largest in the nation. Above: The Krewe of Gambrinus “Lights
up the Night” Parade brings revelry to Galveston’s Seawall as
one of Mardi Gras! Galveston’s most popular events.
Members of the Jack Yates High School marching band
high-step along the Galveston beachfront in one of the
island’s many family friendly Mardi Gras parades.
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H O U S TO N H OT E L M A G A Z I N E
Friday’s parades and concerts
extend late into the night, and
the party continues on Saturday
with many events, including the
popular Mystic Krewe of Aquarius
Mardi Gras Kickoff Parade
during the day and the Krewe of
Gambrinus “Lights up the Night”
Parade and fireworks show along
the beachfront in the evening.
Alternative pop band Delta
Rae is this year’s featured
entertainment headliner. The
band will perform on Saturday,
Feb. 7.
The first Sunday of Mardi Gras
is “Family Gras,” featuring live
entertainment, two kids’ parades
and a kids’ coloring contest in the
island’s downtown entertainment
district. On this day, donations
will be taken at the gate to benefit
two Houston-area children’s
charities: The Sunshine Kids and
Shriners Hospitals for Children.
Revelers have only a short
time to rest before the second
weekend of Mardi Gras festivities
begins on Friday, Feb. 13. Those
wishing to experience an upscale
Mardi Gras event may attend the
annual San Luis Salute hosted
by Houston billionaire and
businessman Tilman Fertitta and
his wife, Paige. The lavish gala,
which benefits the University
of Texas Medical Branch at
Galveston, features non-stop live
entertainment, complete with
Las Vegas-style performers and a
surprise headline band, elaborate
food and beverage stations and
floor-to-ceiling décor.
Ten parades will be held
throughout the second weekend,
including Saturday’s Knights of
Momus Grand Night Parade (the
largest parade of the festival) and
the pet-themed Krewe of Barkus
and Meaoux Mardi Gras Parade
on Sunday.
The celebration comes to
a extravagant climax on Fat
Tuesday when the island’s
many krewes come together
at 6:30 p.m. for a final, grand
parade. For details, visit
www.mardigrasgalveston.com.
H O U S TO N H OT E L M A G A Z I N E
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