Mardi Gras celebrations kick off this week in Pike County and continue through next weekend, with parades, festivals, balls and concerts all part of the pre-Lenten revelry.
Summit’s Mardi Gras parade is set for 6:30 p.m. Friday, with the route the same as the Christmas parade, which also is held at night.
Lineup is in the parking lot of First Baptist Church, and the parade rolls on Grant, West Railroad and Robb streets, ending at the post office.
McComb held its inaugural Mardi Gras parade and festival last year, and city officials are hoping for similar success with this year’s event, which is Saturday.
“Come out and make this year better or just as good as the last,” Mayor Quordiniah Lockley said.
The festival begins at 5 p.m. Friday on Canal Street and runs late into the night.
The parade begins at 1 p.m. Saturday at Gay Street and Delaware Avenue and ends on Railroad Boulevard, near the festival grounds, where bands, vendors and carnival rides will provide the fun through 10 p.m.
Magnolia’s 21st annual Mardi Gras parade and festival is a week later, on Saturday, Feb. 18. Jackson State University’s new head football coach and Magnolia native son T.C Taylor is the grand marshal.
“After the parade, I will be presenting T.C Taylor with the key to the city,” Mayor Tammy Witherspoon said.
And not to disappoint Alcorn State University fans, the band’s Sound of Dynomite band will return to this year’s parade.
The city contributes $3,000 a year to the band’s scholarship fund in exchange for a Mardi Gras parade appearance every year.
“This year’s parade and festival is going to be a lot of fun, and I hope the community comes out to have fun and celebrate,” Witherspoon said.
Line-up begins at 9 a.m., and the parade starts at Eva Gordon Elementary School, ending at South Pike High School after winding through the downtown area.
The festival will be filled with carnival rides and games and food vendors, including Southern Shaved Sneaux Seafood, Fatheads and 601 BBQ.
Witherspoon said the city also is bringing back its Mardi Gras masquerade ball this year, which will take place from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Pike County Multipurpose Complex on Quinlivan Road.
“This will be our second one since COVID hit,” Witherspoon said. “The first one we held in 2020 was absolutely wonderful. Tickets were sold out and we had to get more chairs from the fire department, so I’m sure this year’s ball will be a night of lots of food and fun.”
Tickets are $30 each, and food will be provided by Abbe’s catering.
Also on Feb. 18, the Palace Theatre in McComb will hold its Krewe of the Palace celebration featuring Mardi Gras Indians Bo Dollis Jr. and The Wild Magnolias from 7 to 11. p.m.
Tickets are $20. Cajun cuisine by Yesss Lord Seafood also will be available. The dress code is festive Mardi Gras attire.
