With Fat Tuesday coming up on Feb. 9, festivals and other events are already kicking off across Texas to start the countdown to Mardi Gras.
The state’s largest celebration, in Galveston, kicks off this weekend with headliner concerts, several elaborate parades, balcony parties and bead-throwing to mark the start of the carnival season. A little farther into Texas bayou country, Port Arthur‘s Mardi Gras of Southeast Texas runs Feb. 4-7 with its own grand parades, plus country and Cajun concerts.
The Dallas area hosts several events to keep the good times rolling in North Texas. The Mardi Gras Parade and Festival on Fat Tuesday brings a parade, favorite New Orleans-style foods and a street fair to the area around City Hall. On Feb. 20, a Mardi Gras-themed music festival in Fair Park features 28 bands on five stages, including performances by the Josh Abbott Band, Cory Morrow, and Jason Boland and the Stragglers.
Here are just a few of the other celebrations going on across the state—let us know if you see one we didn’t hear about!
BANDERA: 11th Street Cowboy Mardi Gras, Jan. 28-30
SHERMAN: Red River Mardi Gras and Jazz Festival, Jan. 29-30
GALVESTON: Mardi Gras Galveston, Jan. 29-Feb. 9
HOUSTON: Houston Creole Festival and Mardi Gras Parade, Jan. 30
PALESTINE: A Taste of New Orleans Mardi Gras Celebration, Jan. 30
NOCONA: Mardi Gras, Nocona Style!, Feb. 4-6
PORT ARTHUR: Mardi Gras of Southeast Texas, Feb. 4-7
JEFFERSON: Mardi Gras Upriver, Feb. 5-7
MAGNOLIA: Mardi Gras on the Stroll, Feb. 6
DALLAS: Mardi Gras Oak Cliff, Feb. 6-7
DALLAS: Mardi Gras Parade and Festival, Feb. 9
KERRVILLE: Mardi Gras on Main, Feb. 9
LAMAR: LaMardi Gras, Feb. 12-13
LA PORTE: Mardi Gras on Main, Feb. 20
DALLAS: Mardi Gras, Texas Style, Feb. 20
