BEAUMONT, Texas — Mardi Gras officially kicks off Thursday evening in downtown Beaumont and folks across southeast Texas are gearing up for the big event.
Organizers say this year will be bigger and better than what people have seen in the past. Gates open Thursday at 5 p.m. and tickets for the first night are $10. There are three ways to buy them: at your local Market Basket, online and of course at the gates.
The first parade will be the Courir de Mardi Gras parade at 6 p.m. Each night is jam packed with plenty of entertainment, rides and attractions, and of course food!
Stephanie Molina is the marketing director for the Beaumont Convention and Visitors Bureau. She says they've been working with the the city and Mardi Gras organizers for months in preparation for the big event.
"We are gearing up for a huge weekend in downtown Beaumont, it is our very first big Mardi Gras celebration and the city is just ready to roll out the purple carpet," she said.
With every detail taken care of, they're excited to finally see the big event come to life. They're expecting a big turnout.
"We have our beads ready we have our streets ready, we're going to have wonderful parades concerts, live music all sort so of great things happening," Molina says.
She says it's hard to estimate the exact economic impact the event will have on the city, but they've been doing everything they can to attract out of town visitors.
"When people come to town they bring their wallets with them, they spend their money, they spend the night in hotels, they eat in our restaurants, they go shopping they do all sorts of thing," Molina said.
Molina expects the event to only grow as the years go by. She says the economic impact over the course of the years and the future growth of Mardi Gras is going to be tremendous.
"Mardi Gras is going to be a catalyst, it will bring in a flurry of activity for the weekend lots of people will be downtown, and you know that's just going to be a positive for everyone," Molina said.
Laissez les bons temps rouler!
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