Check out our 2019 Mardi Gras calendar.
Mardi Gras falls on Tuesday, February 13, this year, and there are tons of opportunities in Seattle to raise a glass to the the party-filled and culturally diverse holiday. Whether you're looking to let loose early, the day-of, or a few days after, we've got you covered, from Columbia City's Beatwalk Fat Tuesday to Brazilian Carnaval 2018: Mardi Gras!, and from the Mardi Gras Mayhem 5K to the French Quarter Kitchen's party with hush puppies and beignets. Plus, at the end of this list, we've rounded up all of the places to get king cake, paçzki, and other Mardi Gras treats at bakeries, grocery stores, and other restaurants around Seattle.
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FEBRUARY 8
Sebi's Bistro Fat Thursday Polish Donuts
Get a taste of Mardi Gras early at this traditional Polish celebration with donuts, pastries, and other sugary treats.
FEBRUARY 10
Mardi Gras & Music Festival
Visit our neighbors in Burien for a Mardi Gras celebration, live music, and a pub crawl.
Mardi Gras at Emerald City Trapeze
Make your Mardi Gras "dark and sexy" at this cabaret circus show, where flying trapeze artists, variety acts, and aerial artists will perform before joining guests on the floor for a dance party. Don't miss the themed cocktails.
Mardi Gras at Highline
Dance along to local bands Butterflies of Death and Butt Dial, take in burlesque performances by Scandal From Bohemia, Momo La Vein, Evan Vicious, Ruby T. Gray, Bunny Rarebits, Carmen Caliente, Namii, and Bella Lunacy, and enjoy Mardi Gras-themed libations.
Mardi Gras Masquerade Party Cruise
Board a three-hour cruise for this Fat Tuesday fête, which includes Creole-inspired appetizers, a DJ and dancing, drink specials, beads, and a mask.
FEBRUARY 11
Fastelavn
Fastelavn is a children's carnival traditionally celebrated in Denmark (as well as Norway, Iceland, Greenland, Estonia, Latvia, and the Faroe Islands) a couple days before Ash Wednesday. This celebration features a barrel piñata, candy, crafts, a "beat the cat out of the barrel" contest to chase away the lingering spirit of winter, and more.
Petit Troll
Stop by the Fremont Sunday Market to join the Neon Brass Party for a flashy mini parade a couple days before Fat Tuesday. They'll be decked out in glittery costumes as they galavant down the street with mini floats in tow.
THROUGH FEBRUARY 13
The Great Royal Room Mardi Gras Celebration
The Columbia City venue will celebrate Mardi Gras over three evenings: A Tribute to Fats Domino on Friday, Caribbean Carnival Fete on Saturday, and Fat Tuesday on Mardi Gras itself.
Tavern Hall Mardi Gras
Get in a festive state of mind with a Mardi Gras menu, Louisiana beer, and cocktails in Bellevue.
FEBRUARY 13
The 5 Spot Mardi Gras
The homey Queen Anne diner will celebrate with Big Easy food specials, like a crawfish boil and Dungeness crab and duck gumbo, and live music from the Acheevers. Whoever finds a tiny plastic baby baked into their slice of king cake for dessert will reign supreme for a day by winning a $50 card.
B's Po Boy Mardi Gras
In the hedonistic spirit of the holiday, heap your plate with crawfish etouffee, gumbo, red beans and rice, and king cakes from the authentic New Orleans-style joint's buffet, with sets from Big Easy-inspired band Super-Krewe.
Beatwalk Fat Tuesday 2018
Multiple venues in Columbia City will have live music and drink specials for Mardi Gras, in addition to a second-line parade led by Jazz Night School.
Fat's Chicken and Waffles
Fatten up your Tuesday with Fat's Chicken and Waffles, who will be pouring Hurricane cocktails and serving slices of king cake with a New Orleans soundtrack.
Fat Tuesday Celebration with Thomas Marriott & Friends
Jazz trumpeter Thomas Marriott has won the Golden Ear from Earshot Jazz seven times. He and his band will perform at jazz hangout Tula's for a riotous Fat Tuesday celebration.
French Quarter Kitchen Mardi Gras
The newly rebranded French Quarter Kitchen (formerly Absinthe Brasserie) will go all-out for the occasion, with free hush puppies and beignets, king cake, complimentary rum punch, burlesque performances by Briq House and Verity Germaine, all-night happy hour specials, and giveaways.
Ivar's Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras Party
Don a mask or themed attire for Ivar's Fat Tuesday fête, with live zydeco music, door prizes, a buffet of Cajun and Creole comestibles like crawfish cakes and fried green tomato muffulettas, and hot blueberry beignets and king cakes for dessert.
Poly Gras: A Mardi Gras Celebration
The controlled tempest that is the Polyrhythmics brings the funk for Mardi Gras, supported by Ten Man Brass Band and DJ Abe Beeson for an all-out dance party.
Roux
Matt Lewis's Roux (the brick-and-mortar sibling to the Cajun-Creole food truck Where Ya At Matt) is closing, but you can help them celebrate one last Mardi Gras with live music and their menu of Southern favorites like shrimp and grits, jambalaya, and crawfish boils.
Sun Liquor
Sun Liquor will forgo their usual Tiki Tuesday in favor of a Fat Tuesday celebration with craft cocktails.
Toulouse Petit Mardi Gras
The Cajun-Creole kitchen is throwing a bash with drink specials, beads, masquerade masks, prizes, and music from the Dixie Land Band and DJ Marty Mar.
FEBRUARY 10 & 14
Mardi Gras: A Valentine's Cabaret
At this combination Mardi Gras and Valentine's Day event, dine on three courses with choices like crab avocado crostini, filet mignon, vegetarian jambalaya, and bread pudding while taking in a burlesque cabaret show hosted by ringmaster Armitage Shanks.
FEBRUARY 16
Anderson School Seafood Boil
Roll up your sleeves and tuck into a Fat Tuesday feast of oysters on the half shell, crab, steamer clams, prawns, mussels, kielbasa sausage, corn on the cob, potatoes, and more right on the table. As they write, "Le Bonne Temps Rouler!"
FEBRUARY 17
Brazilian Carnaval 2018: Mardi Gras!
Eduardo and Ana Paula Mendonça present this Seattle-based celebration of Brazilian Carnaval (an annual festival with parades, dancing, singing, and celebration that happens before Lent begins) that will take into account issues of power, racial exclusion, and social inequality. Attendees will get to experience a wide variety of region- and culture-specific Brazilian music and dance.
Stone Lounge Brazilian Party
DJ Neto will be laying down Brazilian, funk, and reggae music, with support from special guest Junior do Cavaco.
Royal Esquire Club Mardi Gras
Celebrate Mardi Gras with beads, feathers, masks, parasols, and live Zydeco music.
FEBRUARY 24
Mardi Gras Mayhem 5K
Don your party beads for a Mardi Gras 5K around Magnuson Park.
ONGOING FOOD SPECIALS
Amandine Bakeshop
The regal Galette des Rois at Sara Naftaly’s bakery comes topped with its own cute little paper glitter crown.
Bakery Nouveau
The venerable bakeshop has been busy frying up paçzki, a Polish donut treat, filled with chocolate, vanilla, or raspberry pastry cream or house-made apple tatin, available at all three locations until February 13. Their king cake, made with braised croissant dough and rolled with apple tatin and raisins, is blinged out with gold and purple sugar and is available by the slice or whole cake (the whole ones have beads!).
Le Panier
The French patisserie’s Galette des Rois can be requested through special order until February 14, depending on availability (call ahead to make sure).
Metropolitan Market
The upscale grocer is selling fried, glazed paçzki oozing with jelly and sweet cream until February 13, while supplies last. (Pre-orders are advised; call your local store or stop by to ensure yours.)
Sugar Bakery
The First Hill bakery bakes king cake with a buttery brioche dough and three choices of filling: bourbon pecan, strawberry cream cheese, or vanilla cream cheese. It’s adorned with colored sugar and beads and comes with a plastic baby inside. Whole cakes can be pre-ordered by calling 206-749-4105 until March 5, and it’s also available by the slice on Thursdays and Fridays.
The Wandering Goose
The Southern brunch spot will serve "biscuit king cake" until Mardi Gras.
Where Ya At Matt
The roving New Orleans street food truck serves colored sugar-sprinkled King’s Cake by the slice.
