3 FUN THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND: Time to party

LITTLE FIVE POINTS

Front Page News Mardi Gras Fest 2009

If the budget’s tight, you don’t have to spring for airfare to New Orleans to get a taste of Mardi Gras. The Little Five Points branch of Front Page News brings the Big Easy to the Big Peach with its Mardi Gras Fest. Beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday, it’s a full afternoon and evening of entertainment. Crawfish will be boiling and beads will be thrown as guests snack on muffulettas, gumbo and red beans and rice. Hurricanes are $5 and Abita Amber and Abita Light drafts are $4. Live music comes courtesy of the Squirrel Heads, the Marching Abominables, Totally Savage, Webster and Kingsized, who will likely supply the appropriate wiseacre shtick for such a celebration. It may not be the real thing, but it beats having to take a bathroom break in the middle of a herd of French Quarter revelers.

$10 advance; $20 at the door. 2-9 p.m. Feb. 21. Front Page News Little Five Points, 351 Moreland Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-475-7777, www.fpnnews.com.

VININGS

Marlow’s Tavern

The Vinings location of Marlow’s Tavern has crafted a special menu in honor of its all-day Mardi Gras celebration. Choose from a list including shrimp and crawfish etouffee, chicken sausage jambalaya, maple-fried chicken and more. A special king cake decked out in Mardi Gras colors will be served all day. In Mardi Gras tradition, a tiny plastic baby will be baked inside the cake. The person who finds it scores a $50 Marlow’s Tavern gift certificate. The gorging takes place throughout the day, with the menu available until closing. At 9 p.m., Under the Porch takes the stage. This six-piece, horn-laden local band serves up its own bouillabaisse of rocking jazz-funk. Drink specials include Southern Comfort cocktails, hurricanes, and Abita and Magic Hat beer.

Free. 11:30 p.m. Music begins at 9 p.m. Marlow’s Tavern, 2355 Cumberland Parkway, Suite 101, Atlanta. 770-432-2526, www.marlowstavern.com.

INMAN PARK

Parish: Foods & Goods Mardi Gras party

Parish: Foods & Goods isn’t letting its first Mardi Gras roll by without a bang. On Saturday, an entire afternoon is dedicated to festivities with an all-inclusive ticket. Guests score all-you-can-eat treats, including crawfish, oysters and feasting from a whole roasted pig. Unlimited Abita beer is included, too. Other special menu items —- think oyster shooters and hurricanes —- will be available at an additional charge. Charlie Wooten’s Zydefunk serves up some authentic tunes with its take on blues and jazz heavily tinged with washboard and accordion. Tents and heaters kept partiers warm, and a portion of the proceeds benefit the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

$35 advance; $40 at the door. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 21. Parish: Foods & Goods, 240 N. Highland Ave., Atlanta. 404-681-4434, www.parishatl.com.