Events schedule for 44th St. Louis Mardi Gras season in Soulard

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV) - The famous Mardi Gras celebration in Soulard will kick off this January for its 44th season.

January 6, the 12th Night after Christmas, will mark the beginning of the celebration. It will carry on throughout the month and conclude on February 18. This year’s Mardi Gras season will feature ten events over six weeks, beginning with the 12th Night Celebration, where the Mardi Gras Inc. board of directors calls for a crucial vote on whether to produce another grand Soulard Mardi Gras.

As part of their deliberations, the board receives petitions from the community, often in the form of a song, dance, poem, oratorical flourish or a humble toast to the season. After receiving these petitions, the board members will cast their votes in what organizers anticipate will be a first-ballot landslide victory for Soulard Mardi Gras in 2023. After the vote, revelers and dignitaries will march throughout the Soulard neighborhood and raise the Mardi Gras flag to fly proudly over Soulard throughout the Mardi Gras season.

Jan. 6 Schedule:

• 5 p.m. - Doors open at the South Broadway Athletic Club, 2301 S 7th St
• 5:30 - Welcome from Mayor Tishaura Jones
• 5:35 - Board receives petitions
• 6:45 p.m. - Proclamation and Grand Procession through Soulard, starting at South Broadway Athletic Club
• 9:15 p.m. - Raising of Soulard Mardi Gras flag, 7th and Soulard Streets (flagpole, east side of 7th)

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