Austin may not be New Orleans, but we do have plenty of ways to celebrate Mardi Gras, OK?! Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday,” which is the day before Lent starts. The “fat” part comes in because, in Christian tradition, you’re supposed to eat fatty foods beforehand.
Mardi Gras Day is on March 4 and Lent starts on Ash Wednesday, March 5. But parades have been underway in Louisiana for weeks, and Austin-area celebrations are, too! Here’s what we recommend:
🦪 Beignets and Oyster Po’boys at Uptown Sports Club
Uptown Sports Club, 1200 E. Sixth St., is offering a Mardi Gras menu March 1-4 that includes chicken fried Franklin Barbecue brisket, housemade king cake, oyster po’boys, barbecued shrimp, beignets, and crawfish-stuffed hand pies.
👑 Mardi Gras Drag at the Volstead
Bring in Fat Tuesday at Volstead Lounge, 1500 E. Sixth St., with a drag show! Vixens of Volstead Drag Brunch: Mardi Gras Edition kicks off 1 p.m. on March 2 and is free to attend. Doors open at noon, however, so make sure you pop in early to grab a spot!
🎙️ Live Music at C-Boy’s Heart & Soul
Spend Fat Tuesday at C-Boy’s Heart & Soul, 2008 S. Congress Ave. The venue is hosting local band The Watters, who will be playing music out of New Orleans. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. on March 4 and the show starts at 7 p.m. Bring $15 for the cover!
🦐 Peel Crawfish at Scholz Garten
Head to Scholz Garten, 1607 San Jacinto Blvd., on March 4 for a crawfish boil. The party starts at 4 p.m. Po’boys, gumbo, red beans and rice, King Cake giant pretzels, and hurricanes are also on the menu and a brass band will perform!
🍻 Bar Crawl on Sixth Street
We had to include at least one classic Mardi Gras event. Enter: The bar crawl. Starting at Bling Pig Pub, 317 East Sixth St., the crawl will kick off at 3 p.m. and go until at least 10 p.m. on March 1. Tickets start at $12 and include beads, a cup, a festive mask, and food and drink specials.
