With beads flying, colorful decor, and jazz music filling the air, the city’s annual celebration of Mardi Gras is drawing crowds to revel in the festive atmosphere and indulge in all things New Orleans — Kansas City style.
Mardi Gras, meaning “Fat Tuesday” in French and tracing its origins to medieval Europe and ancient Roman celebrations of the arrival of spring. The holiday marks the final day of the masquerade and parade-filled celebration of Carnival, and occurs the day before the start of Lent.
It made landfall in the United States in 1699 after French explorers celebrated it for the first time near present-day New Orleans. Over time, the holiday evolved into a vibrant tradition of extravagant balls, parades, and marked partiers, with trademarked colors of purple, green, and gold.
The city of New Orleans became the heart of the U.S. celebration, and is particularly strong in tradition among cities with French or Catholic roots.
Though Kansas City is not as celebratory of this holiday as it’s mother-city of New Orleans, it is one of the largest celebrations of Mardi Gras in the Midwest. With events typically centered around the West Bottoms district and the historic 18th & Vine Jazz District, the city is annually home to a special blend of New Orleans and KC culture.
This year, celebrators of Mardi Gras can expect local bars and restaurants across the metro to be packed to the brim with dazzling beads, spirits, and music.
For the 13th year in a row, the Northeast Kansas City Chamber of Commerce & Historic Northeast Events is presenting their MARDI GRAS: Beads, Beans & Booze! event tonight from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at J. Rieger & Co. located in the historic East Bottoms.
The chamber’s celebration includes a night of flavorful fun with Cajun inspired food such as Boudin Balls, Crab Cakes, Gumbo, get-down music and bottles of booze in the J. Rieger & Co. Atrium Room. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door, and there will be free parking available.
Those who are wanting to celebrate, but in a less New Orleans and party fashion, can also expect several locations of fast-food joints and restaurants to be catering to the holiday.
Popeyes is offering happy-hour menu prices starting at $2 all day on Fat Tuesday. Customers who wear Mardi Gras beads into a Krispy Kreme shop or drive-thru can receive one free Original Glazed Doughnut without any purchase necessary. In celebration, Applebees rolled out its New Orleans inspired Big Easy menu with Bourbon Street dishes starting at $11.99.
