This year, the culturally diverse and party-filled pre-Lent holiday Mardi Gras falls on Tuesday, February 25. To help you plan ahead, we've rounded up the biggest and best Fat Tuesday events to look forward to, from Balkan Night Northwest to Crocodile's Brazilian Carnival. See them all below, and find even more options on our complete Mardi Gras calendar. Plus, if you traditionally celebrate Fat Tuesday by eating pancakes (it's a thing), you may also want to check out IHOP's National Pancake Day event.
Jump to: Community Celebrations | Concerts & Performances | Food & Drink Events | Sports & Recreation
COMMUNITY CELEBRATIONS
Petit Troll Parade
Join the Neon Brass Party at the Fremont Sunday Market 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.
Sun Feb 23, Fremont Sunday Market
Balkan Night Northwest
New Orleans isn't the only place known for its Mardi Gras celebrations—Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Bulgaria, and other Balkan regions have their own ways of celebrating the pre-Lent holiday. You'll discover many of them at this music- and dance-focused event.
Sat March 7, St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church (Capitol Hill)
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CONCERTS & MUSIC SHOWS
Beatwalk Fat Tuesday
Multiple venues in Columbia City will have live music and drink specials for Mardi Gras, in addition to a second-line parade led by Beatwalk Booking Coordinator Tisha Gallow, which marches out from Lottie's Lounge. The bands involved will include Motown's HB Herman Brown, Meter Maids, Roc Phizzle and the Rhythm Section, the Arturo Rodriguez Trio, Lamar Lofton with Swing 3PO, Sheila Kay and Beth Wulff, and Barry Blendiana Jones Gayle (DJ Topspin).
Tues Feb 25, Various locations (Columbia City)
Mardi Gras at the Royal Room
Celebrate late New Orleans blues icons Dr. John and Art Neville with a lively evening of tribute performances (Fri Fe 21), hear traditional Dixieland jazz (Sat Feb 22), and wrap up the holiday with a performance from the Seattle JazzED New Works (Tues Feb 25).
Feb 21-25, the Royal Room (Columbia City)
Brazilian Carnival
This 26th annual Carnaval event celebrates music and dance traditions across Brazil with Eduardo Mendonça, Show Brazil!, and others.
Sat Feb 22, Crocodile (Belltown)
Mardi Gras 2020: Cabaret Circus Show and Dance Party
Let your freak flag fly at this circus-themed party with signature cocktails from the Fly Bar and live flying trapeze, variety acts, and aerial arts. After the show, stick around for a carnival-themed dance party.
Sat Feb 29, Emerald City Trapeze Arts (Sodo)
Mardi Gras with True Loves and Birch Pereira & The Gin Joints
Birch Pereira and the Gin Joints will provide you with swing, country, and rock-inspired originals on Mardi Gras. They'll be joined by Seattle-based soul and funk group True Loves.
Tues Feb 25, Tractor Tavern (Ballard)
PolyGras with Polyrhythmics and the Pulsations
Spend Mardi Gras getting down to soulful, funky Afrobeat fusion with Polyrhythmics and the Pulsations (a.k.a West Seattle Soul).
Tues Feb 25, Nectar (Fremont)
FOOD & DRINK EVENTS
Cajun Night - Mardi Gras Edition
Dig into Addo chef Eric Rivera's five-course meal featuring "everything Cajun."
Tues Feb 25, Addo (Ballard)
Celebrate Mardi Gras at Ivar’s Salmon House
You're invited to don your "most extravagant mask" for the Northwest seafood chain's "Mardi-Party," which will feature drink specials and Cajun- and Creole-inspired menu items like crawfish boil, jambalaya, blueberry beignets, and mini king cake eclairs. Dance the night away to Zydeco music by the Filé Gumbo Trio.
Tues Feb 25, Ivar's Salmon House (Wallingford)
Island Soul's Mardi Gras Celebration
Columbia City's family-run Caribbean-Southern spot will fête Mardi Gras for a whole week, with a featured dish each day and drink specials all week long. From February 24-25, they'll serve a menu of Fat Tuesday classics, including but not limited to jambalaya, crawfish monica, collard greens with ham hocks, and fried oysters.
Feb 17-25, Island Soul Restaurant (Columbia City)
