Mississippi Mardi Gras
Janice Jones, of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, says there are six weeks of celebration up and down the coast. Per Ms. Jones, all parades will be in February this year, and all parades are put on by krewes.
“The Gulf Coast Carnival Association is the main Mardi Gras society on the coast,” said Ms. Jones.
“The GCCA has a crowning ceremony on Lundi Gras, the Monday before Mardi Gras, where they present all of the new royalty, Dukes, Maids, the King and Queen. This ceremony is called a Tableau, and is open to the public. Later, there is a ball. The Tableau is a lot like a grown-ups graduation ceremony, where friends come to watch.”
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The GCCA traces its roots back to the first parade in 1908. Today its king and queen, known as King d'Iberville and Queen Ixolib, preside over two parades in Biloxi on Mardi Gras.
There are dozens of krewes along the Mississippi coast, and a variety of kinds of krewes.
“Some krewes are all female, some all black. There’s a lot of different kinds,” according to Ms. Jones. “The Biloxi Men’s Marching Club is made up of a group who just walk in the parade and give roses to women who will kiss them on the cheek.”
Each parade has a theme, and floats are created for that theme.
“Most floats are made by the krewe, but we do have some float makers in the area,” Ms. Jones noted.
The 2008 Mardi Gras along Mississippi’s coast attracted 450,000 attendees. One million, four hundred thousand pounds of beads were thrown, plus untold other pounds of different throws, like Moon Pies. With so many goodies being handed out, it would be hard not to come away with something from a Mississippi Mardi Gras parade. But if you’re worried, then plan to take in the parade in Biloxi. It travels next to the Biloxi Lighthouse on Highway 90. You are assured of taking away at least a unique memory . . . how many people have seen a Mardi Gras parade next to a lighthouse?