No shortage of Mardi Gras parade bead catching opportunities in South Baldwin County
Orange Beach
The Mystical Order of Mirams will parade through their hometown on Friday, Feb. 24 beginning at 6:30 p.m. in Orange Beach. The parade will start at Wentzell’s on the Beach Road (Perdido Beach Blvd.) and end at Hwy 161 (Rite Aid). The Mirams are the only women’s evening Mardi Gras parade in Orange Beach. There will be lots of floats filled with revelers in costume, marching bands, cars, local business entries, mystical riders on horseback, all throwing tons of beads and other fun trinkets. It will be fun for the whole family. Visit mirams.info for more on the Mirams.
The Mystics of Pleasure will roll at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25 beginning at Wintzell’s Oyster House (24131 Perdido Beach Blvd.) and ending at Hwy. 161. The Mystics are the first South Baldwin krewe to parade at night.
The Wharf will host Mardi Gras parades twice on Monday, Feb. 27 on Main St. Expect lots of additional family fun during the all day street party throughout the Wharf, now a designated shopping & entertainment district. The Children & pet parade starts at 4 p.m. and is open to everyone. Throws are provided and no pre-registration is necessary. At 6 p.m., a parade featuring spectacular floats from the Gulf Coast’s biggest and best krewes will parade down Main St. at The Wharf.
On Fat Tuesday (Feb. 28) at 2 p.m., the Orange Beach Mardi Gras Parade starts at Wintzell’s on Perdido Beach Blvd. and ends at Ala. Highway 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 Live Bait, Fiddlefish, Franco’s or 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 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.
Gulf Shores
The Gulf Shores Fat Tuesday Parade begins at 10 a.m. on Feb. 28 at Clubhouse and runs along state Highway 59 south to the Main Public Beach.
Fat Tuesday fun at LuLu’s starts with live music at 11 a.m. from Cedryl Ballou & The Zydeco Trendsetters. LuLu’s will serve complimentary slices of birthday cake to celebrate the restaurant’s 18th anniversary.
Cedryl Ballou, a native of Lake Charles, Louisiana, began playing music at the tender age of five, making his professional debut as a drummer with his grandfather, legendary guitar pioneer Classie Ballou, at the age of 11.
His future as a frontman was inevitable—both Cedryl’s father, Cedric Ballou, and step-grandfather, “Rockin’ Sidney” Simien, were successful touring musicians, and Cedryl grew up steeped in Creole music and culture.
Tommy Morse Band to play after Feb. 26 at Riff-Raff Parade in Josephine
The Krewe of the Royal Riff Raff will parade in the neighborhood surrounding Pirates Cove in Josephine on Sunday, February 26. 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 music from The Tommy Morse Band, will start around 3:30 p.m. Pirates Cove is located at the south end of County Rd. 95 on Arnica Bay.
Pre-Parade G.S. Methodist Fat Tues. hotcake breakfast: 7-9:30 a.m.
The men of Gulf Shores United Methodist Church will host Pancakes and Sausage on Tuesday, February 28 from 7 – 9:30 a.m. The breakfast will be held in the church south campus auditorium within the Winn Dixie plaza, near the G.S. Mardi Gras parade starts across the street at 10 a.m. Tickets at $6 per person are now available at Thee Coffee Shop in the plaza M-F 9-Noon and can be purchased the at the event on Fat Tuesday. All proceeds will help fund UMM missions and youth activities of the
church and community.