Coastal Companion

Your ultimate guide to the coast

Mardi Gras festivals on the coast of Georgia

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Mardi Gras is known for fun and festivities. Mardi Gras traditionally takes place before the fasting season of Lent, its origins go all the way back to the ancient Rome. Many cities continue the tradition today, for example Mobile, Alabama and New Orleans, Louisiana, and maybe the most famous celebration of them all takes place in Rio de Janeiro.
But did you know that here on the coast of Georgia, we actually have two festivals of our own. St Marys Mardi Gras has a long tradition, in 2010 it’s the 16th year for the annual festival.  Tybee Island is slightly behind, celebrating the 2nd Mardi Gras.

Mardi Gras St Marys
The 16th Annual Mardi Gras Festival and Parade will showcase festive floats and costumes designed around this year’s theme “Romance Through the Ages.”  This is one of the most popular annual festivals in St Marys. Everyone comes downtown to view the Mardi Gras parade and catch beads.

A 10 a.m. parade will kick off the festival and the parade is followed by an action-packed day of entertainment, arts and crafts, and amusements. When the sun goes down , adults can continue to the Mardi Gras Ball. And when I say adults, I mean adults. A new King and Queen are chosen and prizes are awarded for best costumes. Dance music will be provided by the band, “A Touch of Grey”.  I warned you, this party is for adults only.

Tickets for the ball are available at the St. Marys Welcome Center and Once Upon a Bookseller in Downtown St. Marys. Beads are also available at the bookstore on days leading up to the festival. For more information, call 912-882-7350 or 912-552-0072.

The Mardi Gras Festival includes a parade and live entertainment on Saturday, February 13th.
For more information, please call St Marys Convention and Visitors Bureau at 912.882.4000 or visit www.stmaryswelcome.com

Mardi Gras Tybee
Tybee Island is celebrating Mardi Gras for the second time this year.
Purple, gold and green flags will dress up Tybee Island for the party. Mardi Gras Tybee kicks off with a  Masquerade Ball on Friday, February 12th at 8pm, hosted by Fannies on the Beach. Tickets are $20 in advance, or $25 at the door.

On Saturday February 13th, there will be a Mardi Gras parade at 3pm down Butler Avenue and a street party with music and festivities on Tybrisa Street. Join the fun, listen to authentic Zydeco music featuring Brad Randell and the Zydeco Ballers, All American All Star Dixieland Review and Jeff Beasley Band. The music starts already at noon. Admission to the street party and parade viewing is free.


Tickets for the Fantasy Masquerade Ball can be purchased online at www.mardigrastybee.com

mardi gras festival georgia 2010

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

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Who doesn’t love Cinco de Mayo, many bars and restaurants have special events and it is basically an excuse for a party. And why not?
Cinco de Mayo – the 5th of May – is a day of celebration of Mexican heritage and culture in the US and around the world.

A common misconception is that Cinco de Mayo is the “Mexican Independence Day”, it is not. Cinco de Mayo is a regional holiday in Mexico, not an obligatory holiday. The national holiday is actually on September 16th.

Many places started early this year and had Cinco de Mayo parties this past weekend, but the “actual date”, is of course on Tuesday May 5th.

Cinco de Mayo

Gullah Heritage Celebration – Mt Pleasant, SC

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The National Park Service and the Town of Mount Pleasant present a Gullah Heritage Celebration

Ann Caldwell
Ann Caldwell

Gullah Heritage – Ann Caldwell

The National Park Service, in partnership with the Town of Mount Pleasant, is sponsoring a series of free cultural programs at Charles Pinckney National Historic site to celebrate the Gullah Heritage.

The Gullah people of the Lowcountry preserve a culture rich in African influences. Gullah has its own unique culture and its own language. The Gullah culture was developed on plantations in the area where enslaved Africans and African-Americans were the vast majority.
Participants include Ann Caldwell and the Magnolia Singers, spirituals; William Rouse, sweetgrass baskets.

Gullah Heritage Celebration – Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

March 28 at 2:00 p.m.
Charles Pinckney National Historic Site, 1254 Long Point Rd.,
Mt. Pleasant

For more info call (843) 881-5516 and visit www.nps.gov/chpi .

Celebrate St Patricks Day Savannah Style!

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The 2009 St Patrick’s Day Parade will take place on Tuesday, March 17th. It will be the 185th time the parade takes place in the city of Savannah.

St Patrick’s Day is celebrated in honor of St. Patrick’s dedication to Christianity. In Savannah, the the day begins with the celebration of Mass at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist and is followed by the parade which begins at 10:15 am.

This year, more than 400,000 people are expected to come to Savannah to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. The Savannah St Patrick’s Day celebration is the oldest, and one of the largest, in the nation.
Every fountain within in the city is dyed green and the party happens all over the city. The parade itself is the second largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the United States.

click here to view the event calendar post about St Patrick’s Day Parade

Georgia Day Parade in Savannah

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On Thursday, February 12th, the Georgia Historical Society in Savannah organizes the Georgia Day parade. This colorful parade is a yearly tradition in Savannah. Customed characters, dignitaries, local citizens and thousands of elementary school students join the parade through the squares of Bull Street.
The parade starts at 10:30 am from Forsyth Park and then it continues all the way to city hall where the participants will be greated by the Mayor.

The parade is part of the celebration of Georgia Days. Georgia Historical Society commemorates the rich history of the state of Georgia with a celebration lasting for a whole month. For more information visit www.georgiahistory.com