City: St. Louis, MO

Category: Annual Events & Festivals

Telephone: (314) 621-8878

Description: The series of Mardi Gras–related events kicks off with the annual Twelfth Night Celebration on January 6 each year, and the party doesn’t stop until the last beads have been swept away on Ash Wednesday. In addition to a Cajun cook-off, children’s art fair, and a four-day beer fest, Soulard’s Mardi Gras includes events such as the Wine Taste and Art Show, Art Taste, a neighborhood house-decorating contest, the Taste of Soulard, Mystic Krewe of Barkus Pet Parade, Wiener Dog Derby, the Grand Parade, and the Fat Tuesday Parade along the streets of downtown. The big parade is held on the Saturday prior to Fat Tuesday each year, and revelers spend the rest of the day celebrating in the streets and bars of Soulard. Various clubs—or “krewes”—host balls throughout the pre-Lenten season, and many are open to the public. Prices vary per activity, although most are free for spectators.