Pier Park Mardi Gras Schedule for This Weekend

Get your bead bags ready and make sure you’re at Pier Park this weekend for the annual Mardi Gras at the Beach celebration in Panama City Beach. Every year the parade route is filled with themed floats, thousands of spectators and flying beads.

Here is the event schedule.

Friday

12 p.m. – Festival village opens
1 p.m. – Krewe of Dominique Youx Royalty Tent and float tours start
2 p.m. – Live entertainment begins
6:45 p.m. – Children’s Parade on Pier Park Drive
7 p.m. – Second Line Parade with Dixieland Jazz Band on Pier Park Drive
7:45 p.m. – Float christening
8 p.m. – Children’s pirate costume contest and pet costume contest
8:15 p.m. – Fireworks at City Pier
8:30 p.m. – Entertainment on Main Stage

Saturday

10 a.m. – Festival village opens
12 p.m. – Children’s activities and contests at BookIT.com Beach
1 p.m. – Live entertainment begins
3 p.m. – Gumbo cook-off begins
4:30 – Adult pirate and wench costume contest
6 p.m. – Main parade begins with 70-plus units
8:15 p.m. – Fireworks at City Pier
8:30 p.m. – Entertainment on Main Stage

Mardi Gras in PCB with the Krewe of Massalina

Want to celebrate Mardi Gras without the crowds of New Orleans? The Krewe of Massalina is making sure that you celebrate Mardi Gras right, right here in Panama City! More than 50 vendors will be set up, as well as two stages of N’Orleans style music to fill the air.

Schedule of Events

Friday, February 3rd, Block Party 6pm-10pm in McKenzie Park
Saturday, February 4th, Mardi Gras Festival 12pm-10pm in McKenzie Park
Saturday, February 4th, Mardi Gras Parade 3pm on Harrison Avenue

Giveaways

The Toad Lick Festival will be giving away several tickets to the biggest music festival in Dothan, AL.
Over $10,000 in “The Great Downtown Giveaway”
Assorted gift certificates will also be thrown out during the Mardi Gras Parade

Will you join the Krewe of Massalina to celebrate this year’s Mardi Gras?

Mardi Gras Parade on Saturday in Pier Park

This Saturday, February 14th, be sure to come out to Pier Park for the Mardi Gras Parade put on by the Krewe of Dominique Youx. With around 50 floats expected and thousands of people to be there, it is sure to be a total blast. The Parade starts at 3 pm at the intersection of Hills and Front Beach Road and will travel west-bound on Front Beach Road, enter into Pier Park and end at the end of the Boardwalk area at the round-a-bout.

The Krewe of Dominique Youx is Bay County’s original organization of over 185 members who have celebrated the festive Mardi Gras season here in Bay County for over 22 years. Dominique Youx is the nickname used by the eldest member of the famous Lafitte family of buccaneers who sailed the southern seas in the early 1800’s plundering vessels of those deemed to be their enemies. Dominique Youx was actually Fredric Alexander Lafitte, brother of Jean and Pierre Lafitte. He was the first of the Brothers to become a buccaneer. He was commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte as a privateer and served for France during the war with Spain. When the Lafitte’s moved to New Orleans, the charismatic Jean Lafitte organized hundreds of rogues into a band of pirates who became the scourge of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. Local rumor has it that some of their loot is still hidden in the estuary of St.Andrew Bay.

After the parade, be sure to join Bootleg Barbeque’s 1st Annual Mardi Gras Party and Crawfish Boil to benefit the Anchorage Children’s Home. Bootleg will be serving up true Louisiana-style crawfish boiled to the tune of live zydeco music performed by Heat & the Zydeco Gents at 4 pm with festivities expected to roll through 8 pm.

Bootleg Barbeque, a locally owned and operated business, appreciates the community support it has received in its first year and is sponsoring this event as a small way to give back to the community through this truly worthy cause.

Anchorage Children’s Home is a private, non-profit, Christian organization serving, protecting and strengthening children, families and community. Anchorage offers emergency shelter for children and youth who have been abused, abandoned and neglected. Anchorage also offers services to homeless youth through transitional living, street outreach and maternity home programs. Anchorage Children’s Home’s mission is to be an Anchor for today’s children…strengthening tomorrow’s families.

For more information on Anchorage Children’s Home visit their web site at anchoragechildrenshome.org.
Event information can be found at Bootleg Barbeque’s web site rockabillybarbeque.com

Mardi Gras Parade on Panama City Beach

The Krewe of Dominique Youx is Bay County’s original organization of over 185 members who have celebrated the festive Mardi Gras season here in Bay County for over 22 years.

According to custom, Shrove Tuesday (“Fat Tuesday” to the English-speaking settlers, “Mardi Gras” to the French) is the last day to indulge, or overindulge, before Lent and its 40 days of fasting. The celebrations that take place before Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Mobile, and Galveston set off a carnival season that is notorious.

The Mardi Gras tradition came to Panama City in 1986 when a group of local residents headed by Errol Legasse and the late Jerry Castardo decided that we should not miss out on the excitement of Mardi Gras and formed the Krewe of Dominique Youx.

Dominique Youx is the nickname used by the eldest member of the famous Lafitte family of buccaneers who sailed the southern seas in the early 1800’s plundering vessels of those deemed to be their enemies. Dominique Youx was actually Fredric Alexander Lafitte, brother of Jean and Pierre Lafitte. He was the first of the Brothers to become a buccaneer. He was commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte as a privateer and served for France during the war with Spain. When the Lafitte’s moved to New Orleans, the charismatic Jean Lafitte organized hundreds of rogues into a band of pirates who became the scourge of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. Local rumor has it that some of their loot is still hidden in the estuary of St.Andrew Bay.

The present day Krewe of Dominique Youx, like other famous Mardi Gras Krewes, celebrates the season in a carnival atmosphere. For the first time, the krewe will parade on Panama City Beach. Pirates dressed in colorful costumes will be throwing beads to revelers along the parade route beginning at Hill Road, proceeding down Front Beach Road, and into Pier Park. This year, King Rob Fernandez (Dominique Youx XXII) and his Queen, Joyce Muller, will spearhead the Krewe as beads, doubloons, and other throws are tossed to the huge crowds lining the parade route. This parade is free to the public and suitable for the whole family.

In Panama City Beach, the season begins in mid-November with a black-tie evening celebration. The Krewe presents a local, non-member dignitary with the “Baratarian Cup”, a Mardi Gras honor unique to Panama City. This year’s recipient is Robert “Bob” Myers. Bob was an Air Force officer who settled down in Bay county after retiring and over the years became one of Bay County’s most prolific charity volunteers. Bob will lead this year’s parade as Grand Marshall.

The Krewe also holds a formal, costumed Mardi Gras Ball for the coronation of the new King, Queen and court members for the following year.

The Krewe of Dominique Youx is self-financing, paying for its own equipment, floats, costumes, as well as the beads and doubloons thrown to the watching parade crowds.

The Panama City Krewe of Dominique Youx is proud to use the name of an historic buccaneer to promote the carnival spirit of Mardi Gras for the enjoyment of the people of Bay County.