Find Fat Tuesday fun across the West with this list of six Mardi Gras celebrations.
Typically celebrated in the southeastern U.S., Mardi Gras, literally “Fat Tuesday,” is a lively celebration before Ash Wednesday and the 40 days of Lent. For weeks leading up to Fat Tuesday, street parades, costume contests, and other spirited events celebrate Mardi Gras season in a sea of green, purple, and gold. Beads, dazzling masks, Cajun food, and music are all part of the scene.
As Mardi Gras traditions become larger, festivities are becoming larger, too, and they’re gaining traction across the West. While you won’t find the massive Mardi Gras celebrations in the West that you would find in the Southeast, you’ll still find plenty of Mardi Gras fun, including masquerade balls, parades, Cajun food, and a sense of community.
Here, six ways to celebrate Mardi Gras in the American West, across mountain towns, and through cowboy culture.
Mardi Gras Southeast Texas
February 28 – March 2
Dogget Ford Park, Beaumont, Texas
Mardi Gras culture sprawls over the Louisiana-Texas border into Beaumont in Southeast Texas, where they’ve held the annual Mardi Gras Southeast Texas for more than 30 years. Afternoon and evening parades take place daily, where revelers flock together in in their best Mardi Gras gear for a street party full of marching bands, dancing groups, and krewes tossing beads and fun tchotchkes. There’s also a character brunch, wiener dog race, carnival rides, more than 50 food and craft vendors, and live music on multiple stages every night. Don’t miss the golf cart, ATV, and four-wheeler parade, and the traditional second-line march.
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PHOTOGRAPHY: Courtesy of Mardi Gras Southeast Texas, Inc.
Cowboy Mardi Gras
February 20 – 22
Bandera, Texas
The “Cowboy Capital of the World” has lots of Mardi Gras celebrations about town, including a bull riding event, an arts and crafts show on the courthouse lawn, and a crawfish boil at Bandera Brewery. But the big hoorah is Cowboy Mardi Gras at 11th Street Cowboy Bar, dubbed the “biggest little honky-tonk in Texas.” Three days of fun include a parade, a gumbo cook-off, and nine bands performing Texas country, zydeco, and Cajun tunes. Grammy Award-winning artist Wayne Toups plays his “zydecajun” hits at two different Saturday performances, one before and one after the costume contest.
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PHOTOGRAPHY: Bill Clifton/Alamy
Manitou Springs Carnivale
February 22, March 1
Manitou Springs, Colorado
In Colorado, Manitou Springs has been celebrating Mardi Gras since the ’80s, with all the feathers, sparkling masks, and costumes you can handle. On February 22 this year, the CarniBall Masquerade kicks off festivities, as participants are asked to don masquerade costumes for a night of Cajun cuisine, live music, and the announcement of the Carnivale King, Queen, and Court. On March 1, wear your stretchy pants for the Mumbo Jumbo Gumbo Cook-Off, when 20 chefs whip up their best gumbos, for 75 cents per sample. At noon, the parade begins down Manitou Avenue, and everyone is invited for a sea of beads and showy floats.
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PHOTOGRAPHY: Courtesy of Visit Colorado Springs
Mardi Gras Magic
March 8
Butte, Montana
A fundraiser for the Spirit of Columbia Gardens Carousel, Mardi Gras Magic in Butte is a night full of carousel rides, games, a silent auction, drinks, food, and live music. Funds raised at this adults-only night go toward keeping the carousel and its more than 30 hand-carved horses running strong.
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PHOTOGRAPHY: Courtesy of Spirit of Columbia Gardens Carousel
Mardi Gras, Deadwood, South Dakota
February 28 – March 1
Deadwood, South Dakota
Known as a gold rush town founded in the 1870s, Deadwood has its fair share of history in outlaws, gambling, and good old Wild West rowdiness. It seems almost natural that a bit of that rough-around-the-edges reputation now includes a Mardi Gras celebration, where a weekend of complimentary food, a parade, themed cocktails, and a masquerade ball light up the town. On Friday and Saturday, there is a cocktail crawl with Cajun-themed drinks. Friday sees a free masquerade ball with aerialists, a tarot card reader, stilt walker, fire performers, and live music. And Saturday boasts the Cajun cook-off and evening parade. All events except the parade are 21+. Transportation is available within city limits from the Deadwood Trolley.
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PHOTOGRAPHY: Courtesy of Deadwood.com
Mardi Gras in the Mountains
February 27 – March 4
Red River, New Mexico
Aside from skiing and snow sports, winter visitors to Red River have another reason to celebrate with Mardi Gras in the Mountains. The event started in 1992 and has become a favorite for locals and visitors alike. Festivities include two street parades, drink-making contests, live Cajun music, fireworks, a Cajun feast, and numerous balls. Check the schedule for daily happenings.
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PHOTOGRAPHY: Mardi Gras in the Mountains
PHOTOGRAPHY: (Cover image) Bill Clifton/Alamy
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