What is purple and gold and covered in beads? Travel through downtown Mobile during the month of February and you’ll easily guess it’s the Port City. Yes, Mardi Gras season is upon us and whether it’s your first time or your fiftieth, you gotta come prepared. Here are is a roundup of everything you need to know to celebrate Mardi Gras in Mobile.
History
While the revelers to the west of us have been celebrating Mardi Gras for some time, Mobile has been letting the good times roll since 1703. The reveling was dormant for a few years until the legendary Joe Cain reignited the festivities by leading a procession after the Civil War in 1866. Since then, parading societies such as the Order of Myths have been traveling the streets of Mobile, throwing trinkets and beads to onlookers below.
What to Bring
Packing essentials for a Mardi Gras parade is a lot like preparing for a tailgate. While you may catch enough Moon Pie’s to last a year, it’s important to bring other snacks and drinks. Pack plenty of water and other cool beverages because nothing ruins fun more than a bout of dehydration. Stop your thirst in its tracks by visiting Peak Alkalinity before the parades. They offer a wide selection of alkaline water products for premium hydration.
Not only will you need to be properly fed and hydrated, but you also need something to help stash your loot. Plastic grocery bags make a great choice for storing your throws (you know you have about 1,000 stuffed under your sink).
What to Wear
What you wear to a Mardi Gras parade is just as important as what you end up catching. It’s likely you’ll see people covered head to toe in Mobile’s traditional Mardi Gras colors: purple (for justice) and gold (for power). Have fun with your outerwear flare but make sure to wear comfy shoes.
Parking: Where? When? How Much??
Because the parade routes cover a lot of ground in downtown Mobile, parking is a bit limited. The Mobile Police Department has placed special purple and gold colored Mardi Gras No Parking signs along the routes. No parking is not allowed in these designated areas 2 hours before, during or after the parade. Remember not to block business or residential driveways.
Parade-goers can park at the Mobile Civic Center, the Mobile Convention Center and Cooper Riverside Park parking lot.
The Parades
You still have time to catch some parades, including Fat Tuesday!
Monday, March 4, 2019
11:00 AM Arrival of King Felix III (Cooper Riverside Park)
12:00 PM King Felix III Parade
12:00 PM Floral Parade
3:00 PM MLK Business and Civic Organization Parade
3:30 PM Monday Mystics Parade
4:00 PM Northside Merchants
7:00 PM Infant Mystics Parade
7:30 PM Order of Doves
Tuesday, March 5, 2019 – Mardi Gras Day (Fat Tuesday)
10:30 AM Order of Athena Parade
12:30 PM Knights of Revelry Parade
1:00 PM King Felix Parade
1:30 PM Comic Cowboys Parade
2:00 PM Mobile Area Mardi Gras Association
6:00 PM Order of Myths Parade
Visit Mobile has a complete list of the parades and routes.
Carnival comes just once a year so get your own “krewe” together for an unforgettable good time….because everywhere else it’s just Tuesday.
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