Fat Tuesday Schedule for the Coming Years
February 24, 2004 · February 8, 2005 · February 28, 2006
February 24, 2004 · February 8, 2005 · February 28, 2006
Come to the Mountain Mardi Gras.
We'll have the best time you ever see. (Oh yaw!)
Eat Jambalaya from a paper cup.
Do the Cajun Boogie 'til we can't stand up.
Come to the Mountain Mardi Gras!
"Mountain Mardi Gras" by Fritti Fonteneau ©1998
You've heard of the Mardi Gras in New Orleans where two million people cram into the Cresset City to celebrate the approach of Lent and you may have seen on TV the huge Carnivale in Rio de Janeiro, where millions of revelers dance and parade through the streets and on the beach.
Let me tell you this: If you haven't been to Red River's Mardi Gras in the Mountains..... Well, what's stoppin' you?
For the 11th year, Red River hosts this six-day festival to celebrate Fat Tuesday, joining millions of revelers worldwide who enjoy this ancient and time-honored custom of enjoying life. It's also a great excuse for a party to chase away any signs of cabin fever and the mid-winter blahs.
What goes on during Mardi Gras in the Mountains? Live Cajun and Zydeco music at night, Cajun and Creole food as well as genuine Northern New Mexico cuisine, Grand Balls and Mardi Gras parties nightly, parades, brightly colored costumes and gaudy beads tossed by gaudy strangers.They're all a part of this celebration, which blends the rural traditions of Acadiana with some of the urban evolutions of Bourbon Street while keeping a family-friendly atmosphere.
There is also the added excitement of the Cajun Winter Games at the Red River Ski Area which tests the skills of the best Cajun winter athletes in the country. The not-so-hot athletes can have fun, too. And if the truth be known, you don't even have to be Cajun to participate and have fun.
First brought to the high country by Louisiana folk looking to celebrate Fat Tuesday without the massive assortment of problems associated with millions of visitors in New Orleans and Baton Rouge during Carnivale, Mardi Gras in the Mountains still welcomes revelers from such far-flung places as Houma, Mamou, Lafayette, Eunice, Alexandria and dozens of other towns south and north of I-10.
But you don't have to be of Acadian heritage or live deep in the swamp and speak "French" or play the fiddle Cajun style like Doug Kershaw. Mardi Gras is a state of mind not limited to the borders of the Pelican State. It requires only that you take a cue from the descendants of Evangeline and realize that every day is cause for celebration. Every hour should be enjoyed.
Mardi Gras is not a spectator sport. It's okay if you feel more comfortable watching. Realize, however, that you will find it more rewarding to jump in the middle of the celebration and savor the sights, sounds and flavors of the truly unique experience that is Red River's Mardi Gras in the Mountains.
Life is short. Enjoy.