Texas’ Largest Mardi Gras Celebration to Feature Two Weekends of Parades, Concerts
Texas’ largest Mardi Gras celebration will kick off this weekend in Galveston, marking the start of carnival season with headliner concerts, elaborate parades and plenty of bead throwing.
Festivities will begin at 5:30 p.m. Friday with the George P. Mitchell Mardi Gras Award Ceremony followed by a 7 p.m. corresponding parade that travels through downtown Galveston. At 8:30 p.m., hundreds of umbrella dancers will twist through the streets of downtown Galveston at the eleventh annual Funky Uptown Umbrella Brigade. The 10 p.m. Mardi Gras! Galveston Parade and several concerts will keep the party going through the night.
On Saturday, parades will take place along Galveston’s Seawall and through the downtown Mardi Gras Entertainment District, including two of Mardi Gras! Galveston’s
largest events. Revelers won’t want to miss the Mystic Krewe of Aquarius Kick-Off Parade at 12 p.m. or the Krewe of Gambrinus Parade at 6 p.m.
Saturday’s live entertainment lineup will be headlined by American rock band Three Doors Down who will perform at 5:30 p.m. on the Corona Extra Stage located at 23rd and Strand streets inside the Mardi Gras Entertainment District.
This Sunday is “Fiesta Gras" returning for its fifth year featuring headliners Siggno and LaDezz, plus two themed parades, El Norte La Raza and Los Locos Vaqueros Parade with Roy Lopez of the Houston Texans. Lopez will serve as the parade’s grand marshal. The Fiesta Gras area will be located in the downtown entertainment district at the corner of 23rd and Strand streets.
New for 2022, festival organizer Yaga’s Entertainment has launched “Beads for Needs”, a bead recycling program whose goal is to get Mardi Gras beads out of the trash while giving students from Ball High School’s Life Skills Program the opportunity to build a business from the ground up and become self-sufficient. Mardi Gras attendees are encouraged to donate their beads to students who will be located at the event’s exits.
For more information on Mardi Gras! Galveston, visit www.mardigrasgalveston.com.
5:15 p.m. Mardi Gras Concert: Party On! (Corona Extra Stage)
5:30 p.m. George P. Mitchell Mardi Gras Award Ceremony (The Tremont House)
7:00 p.m. George P. Mitchell Mardi Gras Award Parade (Entertainment District)
7:30 p.m. Mardi Gras Concert: Cale and the 45’s (Corona Extra Stage)
8:30 p.m. Funky Uptown Umbrella Brigade (Entertainment District)
10:00 p.m. Mardi Gras! Galveston Parade (Entertainment District)
10:00 p.m. Mardi Gras Concert: Bare Necessity (Corona Extra Stage)
11:00 a.m. Official Mardi Gras! Galveston Jolly Jester Jaunt 5K (Entertainment District)
12:00 p.m. Mystic Krewe of Aquarius Mardi Gras Parade (Seawall & Entertainment District)
12:30 p.m. Mardi Gras Concert: Randy Cobio Band (Corona Extra Stage)
1:00 p.m. Zaniest Golf Cart Parade (Entertainment District)
2:30 p.m. Mardi Gras Concert: The Slags (Corona Extra Stage)
2:30 p.m. Mardi Gras Concert: Jeff Canada (Salute to Texas Stage)
3:00 p.m. Krewe d’iHeart Media Art Car Parade (Entertainment District)
5:00 p.m. Mardi Gras Concert: Jay Perez and The Band (Salute to Texas Stage)
5:30 p.m. Mardi Gras Concert: Three Doors Down (Corona Extra Stage)
6:00 p.m. Krewe of Gambrinus Parade (Seawall & Entertainment District)
10:00 p.m. Mardi Gras Concert: Sprung (Corona Extra Stage)
12:00 p.m. Mardi Gras Concert: LaDezz (Corona Extra Stage)
1:00 p.m. El Norte La Raza Parade (Entertainment District)
2:30 p.m. Mardi Gras Concert: Siggno (Corona Extra Stage)
4:00 p.m. Los Locos Vaqueros Parade with Roy Lopez of the Houston Texans (Entertainment District)
To purchase tickets or for more information on Mardi Gras! Galveston, visit www.mardigrasgalveston.com.
About Mardi Gras! Galveston
Mardi Gras, the traditional festival of feasting and merrymaking that precedes the season of Lent, was first publicly observed on Galveston Island in 1867. Following a sabbatical imposed in 1941 by war and challenging times, Mardi Gras! Galveston was revived in 1985 by Galveston-born preservationist and developer George P. Mitchell. The largest celebration of its kind in Texas and the third largest in the nation, Mardi Gras! Galveston brings the island’s streets to life with parade viewers shouting for beads, lively tunes played by the colorful marching bands, and the infectious merriment that dominates the island for two full weeks.
Media Resources
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