Mardi Gras, French for Fat Tuesday, is the nation�s boisterous excuse for having fun in the early spring. The long tradition of an extravagant, outlandish, and colorful season of celebration dates back to the city of Babylon where a magnificently decorated ship on wheels, pulled by the faithful, was brought to the temple of the god Marduk. Similar �ship chariots� were part of the rites in Egyptian and later in Greek and Roman times. Longer days and new growth in nature occasioned these celebrations of feasting and merrymaking. Today, local traditions vary, but two things are always present � lots of fun and of course, parades.

Mardi Gras in Pensacola follows its Southern traditions of delicious and luscious food and kicks off with the Mystic Krewe of Neired�s King Kake Party at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 7 at Bamboo Willie�s on Pensacola Beach. The king cake, a Mardi Gras tradition whose biblical roots are tied to the Three Kings and Baby Jesus, features a wreath-shaped cake covered with the traditional Mardi Gras colors of purple, green and gold. Baked inside the cake is a tiny plastic baby. Tradition holds, that the person who gets the baby in their piece of cake must host the next king cake party.

The Krewe of Les Petits Enfants presents the 11th annual Mall Ball at Cordova Mall featuring live music by the �Three Amigos,� �Clark & Company,� �Touch of Gray,� and �Reunion Band.� A silent auction including vacation packages, jewelry, art, and golf packages will be part of the fun as well as food samples from at least 30 Pensacola restaurants. The ball, benefiting sick and injured children at Sacred Heart Children�s Hospital, begins at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4. To purchase tickets or for more information, call (850) 416-4660.

Other indulging festivities include the Gumbo Ya Ya, it�s so good it makes your mouth say �Ya Ya,� at Seville Quarter on Saturday, Feb. 18, and the Seville Quarter Chili Cookoff with a public tasting from 4�6 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21. Contact Seville Quarter at www.rosies.com or (850) 434-6211 for more information.

Mardi Gras in Pensacola is and has always been a family event. Children and parents alike will join the chorus for beads, moonpies and doubloons as extravagant, gaudily colored floats roll down Palafox Street in downtown Pensacola. Pensacola�s only illuminated parade of the season is the Krewe of Lafitte Parade at 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 24. Pensacola�s biggest and best-attended parade, the Pensacola Grand Mardi Gras Parade starts at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25, also in downtown Pensacola. Pensacola�s Grand Mardi Gras Parade has been named one of Southeast Tourism Society�s Top 20 Events. For more information, visit www.kreweoflafitte.net and www.pensacolamardigras.com.

Popular with children is the Krewe of Junkanoo Kritter Krawl, a parade of family pets, followed by the Krewe of Kids procession on Saturday, Feb. 18 at the Gulfside Pavilion on Pensacola Beach. The Krewe of Wrecks is also working hard to bring back the Pensacola Beach Mardi Gras Parade tentatively scheduled for noon on Sunday, Feb. 26 on Pensacola Beach. For more information, visit www.KOWrecks.com.

On Lundi Gras or Rose Monday at 11 a.m. on Feb. 27 at the Pensacola Beach parking lot under the tent, traditional Red Beans & Rice will be served for free to the hungry Mardi Gras crowd as long as supplies last.

Fat Tuesday, Feb. 28, features two parades for those who want to party �til the end. Everybody 21 years and older can join the Priscus Procession at Seville Quarter in downtown Pensacola or the Krewe of Coma Parade at the Sandshaker on Pensacola Beach.

For additional information, visit www.pensacolamardigras.com. For more information on the Pensacola area, contact the Pensacola Bay Area Convention & Visitors Bureau at (800) 874-1234, (850) 434-1234 or www.visitpensacola.com.
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Contacts:
Stacy Garrett Hopper
Pensacola Bay Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
(800) 874-1234 / (850) 434-1234
or
Ashley Chisholm
EW Bullock Associates
(850) 438-4015