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 Soulard Mardi Gras‘ famous illuminated nighttime parade happens Tuesday and it’s FREE!
The Lumiere Place Light Up the Night Fat Tuesday Parade begins at 7 p.m. with marvelous floats coming down Washington Avenue.
St. Louis’ only nighttime parade, a colorful, fun-filled nighttime parade that winds through downtown St. Louis is entering its 11the year.
The Parade Steps off at 7 p.m. at the corner of Washington and Broadway and proceeds west to 14th Street.
The event wraps up weeks of events, most of them free, that are part of Soulard Mardi Gras.
The 2013 St. Louis Family Attractions Card is now available!
The card is free, and it can can save you monty on entrance fees, meals and lodging in St. Louis. Some of the deals don’t expire until Jan. 31, 2014.
You can print out coupons from the St. Louis Family Attractions Card website (you will have to give your email address) or go to any Dierbergs, Shop ‘n Save or Schnucks and pick up the brochure at the customer service counter.
Here’s a sample of the savings you can get by using the card:
- St. Louis Science Center: Buy one adult OMNIMAX® ticket and receive one child’s OMNIMAX® ticket free. Fine print: Not valid for groups. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Limit four. Expires Jan. 31, 2014.
- Missouri History Museum: $2 off per person on special exhibition admissions. Fine print: Limit two per coupon. Cannot be combined with any other offers, coupons or discounts. Expires Dec. 31, 2013.
Soulard Mardi Gras continues this weekend with the Mardi Gras Wine, Beer & Whiskey Taste today and the Crystal Cajun Cook-Off on Saturday. Tickets are $35 for each.
Between now and Fat Tuesday Soulard Mardi Gras features more than a dozen events–and many of them are FREE!
Other upcoming Soulard Mardi Gras events include:
Check out all the Soulard Mardi Gras events.
The holidays are hardly out of view and it’s time for Soulard Mardi Gras with more than 15 events between now and Fat Tuesday–and many of them are FREE!
Fifth Third Bank presents SSM Cardinal Glennon Family Winter Carnival Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013. The fun takes place in Soulard Market Park at 8th and Lafayette beginning at 11 a.m. and ending with a Children’s Parade at 4 p.m. The event is FREE and open to the public.
In the big tent kids can:
- Decorate a mask
- Decorate a crown
- Make beads
- Decorate capes for a king or a queen
- Get their face painted
- Paint on the art wall create a piece of art
- Play interactive games
Children and their parents can get safety tips at the SSM Cardinal Glennon Safety Corner.
The Rally Squirrel and Fred Bird will put in appearances and the Muny Kids, Bobaloo and others will perform.
At 4 p.m., the children the SSM Cardinal Glennon Grand Marshall will lead the children through the streets of Soulard to show off their new costumes in the Children’s Parade.Food and beverage will be available on site.
Other upcoming Soulard Mardi Gras events include:
Check out all the Soulard Mardi Gras events.
 St. Louis’s Loop neighborhood celebrates its annual Ice Festival this weekend–even if snow and ice are not in the forecast.
The event kicks off at 6:30 p.m., Friday, Jan. 18, 2013 with the Snow Ball at the Moonrise Hotel. Tickets are $30 for two drinks, hors d’oeuvre buffet and music. Attire is ” icy white” and an ice king and queen will be crowned. Or for get the “VIP Take The Elevator Home package” for $199/couple.
Saturday’s events include 5-K and 10-K “Frozen Buns Runs,” a temporary tattoo scavenger hunt (collect 11 free tattoos at store and pick up a prize at the Pageant), ice sculptures, game booths and human dog sled rides.
Live art, music, and an array of arts-related entertainment at Regional Arts Commission are also on tap. Bands will be playing at 10 clubs in the evening.
Download the event brochure for the entire schedule
 That’s right–you haven’t even shaken all the pine needles out of your rug and it’s Mardi Gras time!
Jan. 6, twelve nights after Christmas, is the traditional beginning of Mardi Gras, and Soulard Mardi Gras has an event to get you in the spirit.
The event–a proclamation and the fun petitioning for a Mardi Gras celebration, will be at Johnny’s, the birthplace of Soulard Mardi Gras in St. Louis. The Board of Directors accept petitions from krewes, civic, business and neighborhood leaders, requesting them to declare the start of the new Mardi Gras season.
Petitioning can be a reading, a poem, a skit, a song, a puppet show, love letters, or any conveyance you wish to get your message to the board. The basic message is “WE WANT TO HAVE MARDI GRAS THIS YEAR!!!”
After petitioning and a couple beverages, gather on the front steps of Johnny’s at 5:30 pm to hear the reading of the proclamation. A musical procession will then wind through the neighborhood, ending in Rudy Commons at 8th and Lafayette in front of Soulard Market, where the Soulard Mardi Gras flag will be hoisted and fireworks will signal the official start of the Mardi Gras season in Soulard.
Contact Marc Mendolia in the Mardi Gras office to schedule your time to petition the Board.
The mild weather is about to change so be sure to dress in layers.
 St. Charles’ Christmas Traditions, a free month-long celebration of Christmas past, is underway.
The Festival runs until Dec. 24. Hours are 6:30-9 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturdays; noon-5 p.m. Sundays and on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
The event features Santas, carolers, white lights and greenery along Historic Main Street.
Check the website for a complete schedule of activities.
 Sunday marks the second day of Chanukah, an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem in 165 BC.The holiday is also known as the Festival of Lights.
The Missouri Botanical Garden marks the traditional Jewish holiday with festive Israeli music and dance, a menorah-lighting ceremony and Chanukah merchandise provided by local vendors and the Garden Gate Shop.
The event is included with admission to the Garden which is $8 for those age 13 and over and free for children 12 and under. $8 adults (ages 13 & over)
St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents are admitted for $4 for ages 13-64 and $3 for 65. Admission for city and country residents is free on Wednesday and Saturday mornings
There’s still time to save with the 2012 St. Louis Family Attractions Card.
The card is free, and it can can save you up to $1,000 on entrance fees, meals and lodging in St. Louis. Some of the deals don’t expire until Jan. 31, 2013.
You can print out coupons from the St. Louis Family Attractions Card website (you will have to give your email address) or go to any Dierbergs, Shop ‘n Save or Schnucks and pick up the Family Attractions Card brochure at the customer service counter.
Here’s a sample of the savings you can get by using the card:
- St. Louis Science Center: Buy one adult OMNIMAX® ticket and receive one child’s OMNIMAX® ticket free. Fine print: Not valid for groups. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Limit four. Expires Jan. 31, 2013.
- Missouri History Museum: $2 off per person on special exhibition admissions. Fine print: Limit two per coupon. Cannot be combined with any other offers, coupons or discounts. Expires Dec. 31, 2012.
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Soulard Mardi Gras‘ famous illuminated nighttime parade happens Tuesday and it’s FREE!
