I don’t know about you… but I’m heading down to New Orleans for Mardi Gras!! NOT… I wish I could, but I have this thing called a job :-p Here is an article that I wrote that talk about some other great places in the U.S. that you can travel to if you want to celebrate Fat Tuesday. Or if you happen to live in one of these cities, enjoy and party on!
Most people associate the celebration of Mardi Gras in the United States just with New Orleans but that is not the only city that is known for celebrating Mardi Gras! Many other cities in the United States pride themselves on their Mardi Gras festivals and celebrations. As a result, many people are finding that they don’t have to travel to New Orleans to get their fill of Mardi Gras Carnival celebrations.
Mobile, Alabama is considered to have the oldest Mardi Gras Carnival celebration in the United States with history that dates back to the 1800s. Mobile’s celebrations revolve around the mystic societies which are basically organizations that put on parades, masked and costume balls, and other events for members of the mystic societies and guests and also the public. To become a member of one of these mystic societies is a secret and not general knowledge. Members of the mystic societies take a big part in the the colorful floats and parade part of the Carnival celebration and have been known to toss small gifts (ranging from beaded necklaces, candy, stuffed animals, cups and hats) to the crowd. It is a big part of the city’s celebrations each year and is popular for the residents and visitors alike.
The state of California has at least 3 different recorded events and celebrations of Mardi Gras although not all are continued at this current time. Up until 2005, San Luis Obispo had annual Mardi Gras Carnival events but have been halted since they have gotten out of control with college students and visitors to the city. San Diego has a corporate sponsored celebration in the Gaslight district and a San Diego Brazil Carnival Ball is usually held around the same time. And then in San Francisco, the annual Carnaval San Francisco is a street parade and a festival that is held annually each May.
St. Louis, Missouri claims that they have the 2nd largest and 2nd best Mardi Gras celebration after New Orleans. The city was founded by French settlers and has a strong Catholic background and so it makes sense that Mardi Gras would be big here! Events include a pet parade where people can dress up their pet and walk in the parade with them and it is followed by Wiener dog races. The Fat Tuesday parade always occurs in the evening and has been moved to Downtown St. Louis and mainly put on by corporate sponsors.
There are over 20 other cities in the United States that pride themselves on the Mardi Gras celebrations so the big question is just deciding where to celebrate Mardi Gras this year!
Live – Laugh – Love – Travel
AJ
Alex's Journeys 