Mardi Gras celebrations around Atlanta
Mardi Gras celebrations aren’t just designed for the French Quarter. Consider the following shindigs:
MIDTOWN
Mardi RA Masquerade Ball 2010 at RA Sushi
The raw fish purveyor’s Mardi Gras party takes place on Fat Tuesday. Expect the beautiful people in abundance. It’s built around a costume contest presided over by Atlanta counterculture icon Baton Bob. Prizes include a $25 RA Sushi gift certificate to the second-place winner and a $100 gift certificate to the costumed baller in first place. DJ Krillz spins dance anthems while partiers partake in $5 Hurricanes, $3 domestic beers, $2 hot sake and more.
8 p.m. Feb. 16. Free. RA Sushi, 1080 Peachtree St., Suite 8, Atlanta. 404-267-0114, www.rasushi.com .
LITTLE FIVE POINTS
L5P Mardi Gras Music & Food Festival
More than 12 hours of Mardi Gras revelry takes place both inside and out at Front Page News. A total of five music acts take the stage, including Kevn Kinney of Drivin N Cryin. The rest of the soundtrack comes from the Squirrelheads, the Charlie Wooten Project and Earl Scruggs. The Seed & Feed Marching Abominable, Atlanta’s own twisted marching band, rounds out the bill. The kitchen will be shilling Nawlins classics such as jambalaya, crawfish, beans, rice and muffulettas. ’Tenders are set to pour 16-ounce Bacardi Hurricanes for $5 each and 16-ounce drafts of Abita Amber, Abita Light and Miller Lite for $4 each. Complimentary beads will soar through the air. And kiddies can get in on the party with face painting and an inflatable jumping station from 2 to 6 p.m. If it rains, the bash moves into the nearby garage and underneath heated tents. Other events tied to the festival include a 5K road race and the Abita Mardi Gras Bus Bar Crawl.
2 p.m. Feb. 13. $10 advance, $15 at the door. Front Page News Little Five Points, 351-A Moreland Ave., Atlanta. 404-475-7777, www.l5pmardigras.com .
INMAN PARK
Mardi Gras Celebration at Parish Foods
The party returns to Parish. Charlie Wooten and Zydefunk get raucous with live music from 1 to 5 p.m. All-you-can-eat treats will be served from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Get your fill of shrimp, New Orleans-style sandwiches, roasted pig, and red beans and rice. And don’t forget to make room for a homemade king cake and all-you-can-stomach Abita beer. If that’s not enough, cash bars will hawk oysters, ice luge shots and other specialty cocktails.
11 a.m. Feb. 20. $35 advance, $40 at the door. Parish Foods and Goods, 404-681-4434, www.parishatl.com .
BUCKHEAD
Cajun Zydeco Mardi Gras Dance Party
It’s all about the fancy footwork at the Garden Hills Recreation Center. Get ready to bust out the Cajun waltz, two-step, jitterbug or zydeco-syncopated slide as music blares over the DJ’s PA. Guests are encouraged to wrap themselves in boas, bring plenty of Mardi Gras beads and to donate a covered dish to the celebratory potluck. Free dance lessons take place from 7 to 7:30 p.m. Hosting the bash is the Atlanta Cajun Zydeco Association, a group of Cajun and zydeco dance lovers intent on cranking Louisiana’s music in Atlanta. All ages are invited.
7 p.m. Feb. 16. $5 cover. Garden Hills Community Center, 337 Pinetree Drive N.E., Atlanta. www.aczadance.org .
