No shortage of Mardi Gras parade bead catching opportunities in South Baldwin County
Orange Beach
Beads and MoonPies will soon be flying once again along the beach highway in Orange Beach. The good times will begin to roll with The Mystical Order of Mirams Mardi Gras Parade on Friday, Feb. 9. The parade begins on Perdido Beach Boulevard at 6:30 p.m. at the traffic signal just east of Phoenix West and it will end at intersection at Highway 161 and Perdido Beach Boulevard. For more information, visit mirams.info.
On Saturday, Feb. 10, the Mystics of Pleasure, Pleasure Island’s very first nighttime Mardi Gras parading society, will hold its parade at 6 p.m. along the same route. Unlike parading groups to the west, marshals with the Mystics of Pleasure ride Harley-Davidsons, not horses. The Mystics are the first South Baldwin krewe to parade at night.
The city will hold its 2018 Orange Beach Mardi Gras Parade at 2 p.m. on Fat Tuesday, Feb. 13. Anyone who would like to participate in the parade must submit an application and pay a fee. Click here for information and the application. For more information, email Angela Bateman at abateman@cityoforangebeach.com.ch Blvd.) and ending at Hwy. 161.
If you are tailgating and watching from The Walmart Food Store, Winn Dixie or Publix parking lots, expect the parade to arrive between 2:45 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Your best bet for a relaxed & traffic free experience is to arrive plenty early and hang a hat at one of the many restaurants and bistros along the route. The staffs will definitely be ready for you and most are offering Fat Tuesday specials.
The Wharf
The Wharf joins the Mardi Gras festivities on Monday, Feb. 12 with Moon Pies on Main parades. A Kid and Pet Parade kicks off the fun at 4 p.m., followed by activities, and an evening float parade rolls at 6 p.m. For details, go to alwharf.com.
The Kid and Pet Parade starts in front of the Ferris Wheel. Get your krewe down here early and dance to live DJ entertainment. There will be loads of activities for the little ones as well, including face painting, a rock climbing wall, bouncy house, and various live animals.
The nighttime float parade at 6 p.m. This is the perfect chance to fill up that remaining empty space in your goodie bags with more beads and candy galore! Catch the SPECTRA Sound & Light Spectacular show directly after the parade.
LuLu’s Boat Parade
The Fat Tuesday Boat Parade, departs at 3 p.m. from The Wharf and travels west along the Intracoastal Waterway to LuLu’s under the Hwy. 59 Waterway Bridge, arriving around 5 p.m.
New Gulf Shores route
T/he City of Gulf Shores will celebrate its 40th Anniversary Mardi Gras Parade on Tuesday, February 13 at 10 a.m. Due to construction at Gulf Place (main public beach) and Highway 59, the parade route has been revised. With the new route, the parade will start at the intersection of Highway 59 and Highway 182 and roll east along Highway 182 (East Beach Blvd.) to Highway 135 at the Gulf State Park Pier. If severe weather moves in and the parade is cancelled, there will be no make-up date. For more information contact City Hall at 251-968-2425 or visit gulfshoresal.gov.
Fairhope
In addition to the Haven’s Feb. 3 Mystic Mutts Parade, Fairhope will host a parade that evening when the Knights of Ecor Rouge roll. The 2nd of Fairhope’s three evening parades is Maids of Jubilee on Feb. 9. The third is the Order of Mystic Magnolias on Feb. 12.
All three of the evening parades start at 6:45 p.m. and take the same route: Fairhope Civic Center on Section Street; south on Section to Fels Avenue; west on Fels to Church Street; north on Church to Fairhope Avenue; east on Fairhope to Bancroft Street; north on Bancroft to Magnolia Avenue; west on Magnolia to Church Street; south on Church to Fels Avenue; east on Fels to Section Street; north on Section to end at the starting point.
Foley
The Foley Mardi Gras Parade
rolls through city streets on the Saturday before Fat Tuesday, and this year that date is Feb. 10. The parade starts at 11 a.m. at Roosevelt and Alston streets, going north on Alston, then turns west on U.S. 98 and moving south on Oak Street.
Unlike the Mobile parades, each of which is hosted by a specific mystic society, the Foley parade is open to everyone in the area who wants to participate. Floats, trucks, antique cars, walking groups, bands. More than 25 units typically participate, and organizers stress that it’s a family-friendly event.
Pirates Cove
The Krewe of the Royal Riff Raff will parade in the neighborhood surrounding Pirates Cove in Josephine on Sunday, February 11. The parade, officially the Royal Disorder of Riff-Raff Mardi-Gras Parade, will muster at 2 p.m. The Royal Disorder of Riff-Raff Mardi-Gras Ball, featuring live music, will start around 3:30 p.m. Pirates Cove is located at the south end of County Rd. 95 on Arnica Bay. County Rd. 95 is accessible from either County Rd. 20 or Hwy. 98. Although it is straight across the bay from Bear Point in Orange Beach, the rule of thumb when traveling to this unique corner of the earth for the first time is that