Waylon Thibodeaux, headliner of Sarasota Mardi Gras. (COURTESY PHOTO)
A brand new event for the area, the Sarasota Mardi Gras will take over Payne Park in downtown Sarasota for the entire weekend, bringing a little taste of the massive festivals that draw so many people to New Orleans and Rio De Janeiro. There won't be any parade, but the park will play host to an array of musicians performing all three days, vendors and local restaurants cooking traditional New Orleans cuisine, booths selling cocktails and beer, a big area of family activities, and a whole lot more.
Headlining this first Sarasota Mardi Gras is Waylon Thibodeaux, dubbed "Louisiana's Rockin' Fiddler." The Louisiana native is self-taught, playing a high energy blend of Cajun and zydeco, rock and country. He's played with New Orleans greats like Dr. John, Tab Benoit, Johnny Sansone and many others, and his fourth and most recent album - "Who's Yo' Cher Bebe" - made it to number 9 on the European Country Music Charts.
Thibodeaux takes the stage at the end of the party on Sunday, but local bands will perform the rest of the weekend, ranging from Mark Serio and the All-Stars to Steve Arvey, Orlando's Nawlins Po' Boyz to Sarasota's Gumbo Boogie Band.
While listening to the music, you can slurp down tasty crustaceans from the crawfish boil (suck the heads!) and sip from a classic sweet and fruity rum-based Hurricane. There will also be red beans and rice, po' boys, jambalaya, gumbo and much more, as well as beer and other cocktails.
Although the final concert takes place Sunday afternoon, Mardi Gras continues late into the night with a VIP Super Bowl Party, which includes a Cajun buffet, complimentary cocktails, Super Bowl swag and more. And to get you in the mood, just before the Super Bowl (4 p.m. Sunday), Sarasota Mardi Gras will present the finals of the Miss Mardi Gras Bikini Contest.
And beads, right? There's gotta be beads.
SARASOTA MARDI GRAS
$10 in advance, $15 at door
6-10 p.m. Friday, noon-10 p.m. Saturday, 1-10 p.m. Sunday
Payne Park, Adams Lane, Sarasota; sarasotamardigras.com
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Friday
Mark Serio and the All-Stars
With special guests Twinkle, AJ (of AJ & The Automatics), Dagmar
Saturday
1 p.m.: Whiteleather Hoodoo Voodoo
3 p.m.: Steve Arvey's Crawfish Fiesta
5 p.m.: Kid Red and the Pontchartrain All-Stars
7:30 p.m.: Gumbo Boogie Band
Sunday
1 p.m.: Nawlins Po Boyz AKA The Caribbean Cajuns
3:45 p.m.: Waylon Thibodeaux
