Organizers of the ninth annual Magnolia Mardi Gras Parade and Festival are putting a lot of love into this year’s two-day event.
Because Mardi Gras follows Valentine’s Day this year, the theme is “Mardi Gras Romance.”
The annual festival begins at 8 a.m. on Saturday, the 13th. The parade through town starts at 10 a.m., kicking off at Eva Gordon Elementary School on Highway 51 and ending at South Pike High School. Line-up begins at 9 a.m.
Mardi Gras celebrants will be able to enjoy a variety of foods, arts and crafts and day-long entertainment at the Magnolia Depot. Carnival rides provided by Mississippi Delta Shows will be available all day Saturday and on Sunday afternoon. A special fireworks display will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday.
Saturday’s performers at the Magnolia Depot include LA Sunshine, Ghosttown, Shelby Price and Kaitlyn Zachary.
On Sunday, the 14th — Valentine’s Day — the public is invited to downtown Magnolia for more entertainment. SNAZZ will kick off performances with shows from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Depot. Carnival rides will be running Sunday afternoon also.
The festival and parade are sponsored by the Magnolia/South Pike Area Chamber of Commerce, along with the City of Magnolia. Admission to the festival is free.
Parade organizers welcome bands, trucks and trailers, pickups, horse riding clubs, school groups, dance teams, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, motorcyclists, four-wheelers and others. No three-wheelers are allowed.
All parade entries must be fully decorated with a Mardi Gras theme. Floats and vehicles should have the sponsoring organization’s name on both sides and the front of the vehicles. Only appropriate Mardi Gras music should be played on the parade route. Judging will be done at Eva Gordon before the parade starts. Entry fee is $20, with checks made payable to the Magnolia/South Pike Area Chamber of Commerce. Proceeds will go to establish a fifth school scholarship, which will be awarded to a South Pike student.
Parade entry fees are due by noon Feb. 12 for judging. Walk-on entries are welcome on the day of the parade.
Corporate sponsors for the event are Coca-Cola, Budweiser and Comcast Spotlight.
Two-day vendor spaces are 10 x 10 feet and are $100 for food booths and $50 for arts and crafts booths. Food vendors are limited to 10. Vendors who don’t want two-day space will not receive premium positions.
For festival information, call Morrell at 783-3301. Parade information is available at City Hall, 783-5211, or from Virginia Goza at 783-5915.
Vendor applications and parade entries are available online at www.magnoliamardigras.com.
