ENTERTAINMENT

Free Mardi Gras Block Party returns to downtown Montgomery

Staff reports
Beads are thrown during the Downtown Business Association Mardi Gras Block Party in Montgomery on Saturday. Beads are thrown during the Downtown Business Association Mardi Gras Block Party in Montgomery, Ala., on Saturday February 3, 2018.

Montgomery’s Downtown Business Association (DBA Montgomery) will once again bring the Mardi Gras funk to the 100 block of Commerce Street from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23 for the 6th annual Mardi Gras Block Party and Cajun Cook Off. 

The Block Party is free, family-friendly and open to the public. 

Tickets are required to experience the Cajun Cook Off that will take place there from noon to 2 p.m. It will feature some of Montgomery’s premiere restaurants showing off their best Cajun dishes, including Cahawba House, Cork & Cleaver, Island Delight, Itta Bena, SaZa Serious Italian, D’road Café, Biscuits’ Chef “Smoke” Johnson, Capital City Club, and Alana’s Gourmet. 

“We might have a few more that we’ll add,” said Meg Lewis, director of Brand Development and Special Projects for the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce.

Advanced tickets for the Cajun Cook Off are currently available for $20 each on the Mardi Gras Block Party & Cajun Cook Off Facebook event page, or by going to https://cajuncookoffmgm.eventbrite.com. Any remaining tickets will be sold on site for $25 each. It is strongly encouraged to purchase tickets in advance as the event is always a sellout. 

All proceeds will benefit Valiant Cross Academy and That’s My Child, two local nonprofits that are improving our city by educating and empowering our youth. 

“They’re volunteering and helping us out, and they’re both going to receive a portion of the proceeds from the event,” Lewis said. 

The Stooges Brass Band perform will headline at the DBA Montgomery 6th annual Mardi Gras Block Party on Saturday, Feb. 23.

Headlining this year’s Block Party is one of the elite brass bands from New Orleans, The Stooges Brass Band, which will take the stage at 3 p.m. The Stooges consistently provide a welcome blast of true New Orleans spirit engaging audiences with their innovative blend of traditional New Orleans brass sounds, contemporary jazz and hip hop beats. They have gained notoriety as a full-blown musical party immersing the crowd in a cut-loose vibe that is contemporary yet deeply rooted in the culturally rich musical legacy of New Orleans. 

Also performing is Montgomery’s own The Avant Garde Creative League, which will kick off the party starting at noon, followed by the Outlawz Brass Band from Mobile.  

Mark Bullock and Tonya Terry from WSFA will once again serve as masters of ceremony. 

The event will go on rain or shine. 

People dance to the live music of the Rebirth Brass Band during the Downtown Business Association Mardi Gras Block Party in Montgomery on Saturday. Dancing to the live music of the Rebirth Brass Band during the Downtown Business Association Mardi Gras Block Party in Montgomery, Ala., on Saturday February 3, 2018.

No outside alcohol is allowed.

“They’ve lifted the ordinance on alcohol, so you can purchase it. You can’t bring your own into the event, but you can purchase it and carry it into the street for this event,” Lewis said. 

In true Mardi Gras fashion, costumes and dancing shoes are encouraged. 

Follow the event on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/2164040627255793/. 

Entertainment is sponsored by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. Other sponsors include City of Montgomery, Alabama Power, Bama Budweiser, Willie Durham State Farm, Goodwyn Mills & Cawood, City Councilman Arch Lee, Serquest, AALOS, Starke Agency, Alabama State Grad Program, Robert D. Reynolds, LLC, WSFA, and Rushton Stakely.