The nation’s largest Mardi Gras north of New Orleans is upon us. For being so massive, our circa 1979 celebration is relatively new to the party, beginning more than 200 years after the French founded St. Louis. But like a person in their forties, there’s a feeling it’s coming into its own and hitting its stride. The creative individuals and krewes who make it all happen are seasoned and invested. The famed balls are slated to be more opulent than ever, the parade is being reimagined, and even household names such as NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal are getting in on the action.
We’ve talked to the biggest players in and around Frenchtown (the 19th-century name for the neighborhoods between Chouteau’s Pond and Sugarloaf Mound) to give you a taste of what to expect. From professional event planners to the cast of eccentric local characters, everyone behind Soulard Mardi Gras is dedicated to showing you a good time.
Have a ball (or two)
If you enjoy pageantry, you’ll want to attend one or both of the main balls taking place this season. After two decades in City Hall, the glamorous Mayor’s Ball celebrates its 20th year in the Midway at Union Station on February 25. With roughly a thousand attendees, Mardi Gras Foundation President Mack Bradley says the new location allows for growth while also giving everyone room to spread out.
“The best thing is the transformation of the space with the use of dazzling lighting and decoration. The venue will be almost unrecognizable,” Bradley says.
A favorite of the beautiful and powerful, expect a lavish spread and Instagram-worthy VIP lounges. The mayor is always the guest of honor and gets a say in the planning, so everyone is waiting to see what kind of spin the fashionable Mayor Tishaura Jones will put on the festivities.
If you’ve got an appetite for something a bit more risqué, the infamous Krewe of Vices and Virtues will welcome folks to their annual Vices and Virtues Mardi Gras Ball at The Shamrock Pub event space on February 12. Once an official event of the Soulard Restoration Group, krewe founder and “Maven of Mardi Gras” Luann Denten went rogue and made the ball independent this year. Now unrestrained, the Soulard socialite promises there will be a lot more vices than virtues.
Maven of Mardi Gras
"Maven of Mardi Gras" with her Vices and Virtues cohorts during a photo shoot.
“We’re going to have royalty for sale! Five dollarsa vote,” the Maven says. The two contestants who buy the most tickets will be crowned the King and Queen, Queen and Queen, King and King, or Royal and Royal of Vices and Virtues, complete with crowns, red coronation robes, and roses. “It’s rather larcenous,” she says with a grin.
This black-tie or full-costume masquerade ball will feature a variety of unique entertainers led by famed drag emcee Jade Sinclair. She’ll preside over Vegas-syle entertainers, a Caligula-worthy buffet, andperhaps even leather doms flogging in the corner. Live music will include Nashville’s Dale Papp on the first floor, and Boogie Chyld will run the upstairs dance floor.
The storied Banana Bike Brigade Ball—a favorite of the Soulard Mardi Gras pioneers—is on hiatus, but if you’ve found the balls have gotten in your blood, you’ll want to keep it on the radar for next year.
We love a parade
Mardi Gras Inc. has brought original planners and organizers out of retirement to revamp and reimagine the parade, which begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday, February 26. Mardi Gras veteran and Creative Director Bonita Leiber’s aim is to bring the parade back to its roots. Entry fees were waived in order to lure more walking krewes and nurture the formation of new krewes. Interspersed throughout the moving spectacle will be inflatable costumes, rampaging vikings, mysterious Venetians, art cars from around the country, and live bands. By breaking up the line of massive floats the parade is known for, revelers can expect more of a carnival, street party atmosphere.
Beads are status and currency, and if impressive strands are what you’re after, you’ll want to make your way to Historic Crossroads, 2201 S. 7th Street. The bawdy Krewe of the Lustful Lushes will be tossing “the finest beads in all of Mardi Gras” from the six upper windows before, during, and after the parade. One of the krewe’s main personalities is the pink fur-clad Matthew Traeger, also known as “The Mad Beader of Mardi Gras,” or “Auntie M.” In addition to making appearances at the windows, the celebrated bead artist will be in the parade and will host the annual High Heel Drag Race at 3 p.m.
“At long last a dream of mine will come true this year, and I will be dispensing High Heel Drag Race beads from a horse-drawn carriage as part of the parade,” Traeger says. “A retinue of drag queens in accompanying carriages will be in tow on their way to the staging ground of the post-parade events in front of Lift for Life Academy, and their heels and wigs will indeed be lifted for life! It is a new beginning, a rejuvenation, a time to taste the Spring in the air, however slight, and cut loose!”
Claim your base camp
The population of Soulard swells to over half a million on Parade Day, and while it’s fun to roam the streets, it’s nice to have a warm and comfortable base of operations. Party tents are a big draw post-parade, and none are generating more buzz than The EFFEN Tent, where Shaquille O’Neal, AKA “DJ DIESEL,” will headline. With tickets ranging from $105 to $1,250, attendees can expect a premium open bar and unlimited in and out access in a pulsating, high-energy environment.
Many bars have all-inclusive Mardi Gras parties, including Molly’s and Big Daddy’s. Some even have buffets. Securing your krewe’s sliver of Soulard real estate takes planning, so buy your tickets sooner rather than later.
Let the good times roll
The Mardi Gras Foundation’s Mack Bradley reports that Soulard Mardi Gras generates a little more than $20 million a year in regional economic activity, and the Mayor’s Ball alone has generated more than $600,000for nearly 20 community projects, mostly in Soulard. There’s an entire ecosystem of volunteers, community organizers, glitterati, and paid staffers who work on Mardi Gras year round, providing you with a myriad of opportunities to savor.
If your idea of Soulard Mardi Gras was donning throw beads and toddling around 7th Street with a hurricane, let this be the year you take a deeper look and immerse yourself in all our world-class celebration has to offer. Visit stlmardigras.org to learn of some of the other events to check out, from the cajun cook-off to the pet parade.
Laissez les bons temps rouler!
