Soulard Mardi Gras returns this weekend with cheaper drinks, a new “VIP Party Zone,” celebrity headliners and expanded ticketed events — while directing proceeds from its sold-out Mayor’s Ball to the community’s Tornado Response Fund.
The Mayor’s Ball will take place from 7 p.m. to midnight Friday in the City Hall Rotunda with live music from Dr. Zhivegas. The 47th annual Bud Light Grand Parade will step off at 11 a.m. Saturday near Busch Stadium.
New this year is a $49 “Bayou Bargain Beverages” ticket worth seven drinks from any of the parade’s vendors. Board member Bess McCoy said the ticket saves $2 to $4 per drink.
This year, organizers said the northbound exit from I-55 to Gravois Boulevard will close at 12:30 p.m. on parade day.
The parade route will close to foot traffic at 10 a.m.
Brian Munoz
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St. Louis Public Radio
Krewe of Vices & Virtues’ Dusty Brooks, of Bowling Green, Mo., looks inside a paper elephant head while putting the finishing touches on his group’s Mardi Gras float a day ahead of the annual parade and festival on Friday in south St. Louis.
Brian Munoz
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St. Louis Public Radio
Krewe of Vices & Virtues’ Erica Twyford, of St. Louis’ Carondolet neighborhood, weatherizes portions of the group’s Mardi Gras float a day ahead of the annual parade and festival on Friday in south St. Louis. Rain is expected throughout the day on Saturday.
Ticketed parade events
In addition to the free outdoor parade, a sold-out Blues Alumni Experience will be hosted by Soulard Mardi Gras where attendees can mingle with former Blues players and listen to stories about their days with the team.
For the first time this year, proceeds from the Blues event will go to the NHL’s Hockey Fights Cancer initiative. McCoy said the nonprofit wanted to honor Kelly Chase, a former Blues player undergoing treatment for complications from leukemia.
“It’s an opportunity to hear some stuff that you might not hear on TV or on the radio,” McCoy said. “The Blues alumni are such a great partner of ours, and we’re really lucky that a lot of the alumni like to come back year after year.”
Tickets for three other paid events are still available online:
DJ Pauly D of Jersey Shore fame will round off a day of music in the new VIP Party Zone, a ticketed street event with a food truck village and an open bar from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. VIP tables near the stage are sold out, but general admission tickets are still available.The Bud Light Party Tent will serve as a heated “all-day parade headquarters” with an open bar, live music and giveaways from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Country singer Chris Janson, a Perryville native, will headline.EDM acts DISCO LINES and CID are headlining the Carnival Tent. The heated area will supply an open bar and private restrooms from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
After the parade, attendees can take a free trolley ride to Ballpark Village for the Official Mardi Gras After Pardi from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets are not required for entry, but organizers said that if attendees want to “unlock” special deals on $6 drinks, they’ll need to purchase a ticket.
Brian Munoz
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Krewe of Vices & Virtues’ Katie Leone, of Sappington, puts the finishing touches on portions of her group’s Mardi Gras float on Friday.
‘Peace, Love, and Mardi Gras’
This year’s parade is themed “Peace, Love, and Mardi Gras,” a nod to the event landing on Valentine’s Day. Mardi Gras Creative Director Bonita Leiber said the parade will celebrate the community support that has made Soulard Mardi Gras a St. Louis tradition.
“Every float, every event, every moment is made possible by volunteers who care deeply about this community and this tradition,” Leiber said. “This season is our love letter to St. Louis and the people who make it so special.”
Soulard Mardi Gras has historically pledged the proceeds from the Mayor’s Ball to community grants in Soulard or downtown St. Louis. But this year, McCoy said the proceeds will support the City of St. Louis Tornado Response Fund through the St. Louis Community Foundation.
“We had a once-in-a-generation-style disaster, and we just saw the opportunity to expand our footprint,” McCoy said. “I can’t tell you how proud everyone involved and everyone in the neighborhood is to be able to give back in that way.”