Celebrating Fat Tuesday in the Fillmore with great blues, a second line processional, creative costumes, good food and colorful beads, the Village Project will host the 13th annual Mardi Gras, San Francisco Style on Tuesday, March 5th.
This year’s celebration again opens with a free community blues concert in the Fillmore Center Plaza, featuring blues songstress, Margie Turner, along with Alabama Mike and Bernard Anderson. The New Orleans style festival will bring San Francisco's historic Fillmore Music District to life with Zydeco & blues, a colorful family friendly carnival atmosphere, and a second line parade led by Sumba Funk, the St. Gabriel’s Brass Band and the Gumbo Band. New Orleans’ own, Chief Takawaka will serve as Grand Marshall and will MC the event. There will be face painting, street artists and performers.
The free blues concert starts at 5 pm and ends at 7:30 pm, followed by the second line New Orleans style parade down the Fillmore Corridor, culminating with the annual Masquerade Ball at the Fillmore Jazz Heritage Center. At the Masquerade Ball, guests will enjoy New Orleans cuisine, Mardi Gras drink specials and more blues and Zydeco music, with Tia Carrol and the infamous Fillmore Slim.
Tickets for Ball:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mardi-gras-san-francisco-style-fat-tuesday-in-the-fillmore-tickets-20765083925
"We are excited to include the weekly Tuesday night blues jam session, which takes place every Tuesday night at the Fillmore Heritage Center to this year's itinerary, featuring musicians from all over the Bay area. We are expecting visitors from the Fillmore District and beyond," said Adrian Williams, Executive Director of The Village Project and producer of the event. "Not only does our annual Mardi Gras celebration include what people look for in the traditional New Orleans celebrations, it continues to embrace the history of this neighborhood -- where music has been intertwined into the fabric of everyday life for more than 100 years. With the help of San Francisco Travel and Soul Travel of America, we expect to attract a number of tourists to The Fillmore, one of the most historical neighborhoods in San Francisco, for an evening filled with fun and community connectedness”.