Who is ready to catch some beads? We see those hands! You’ll be happy to know the Foley Mardi Gras parade rolls through city streets on the Saturday before Fat Tuesday, and this year that date is Feb. 25.

The parade starts at 11 a.m. at Roosevelt and Alston streets, going north on Alston, then turns west on U.S. 98 and moving south on Oak Street.

Unlike the Mobile parades, each of which is hosted by a specific mystic society, the Foley parade is open to everyone in the area who wants to participate. Floats, trucks, antique cars, walking groups, bands . . . more than 25 units typically participate, and organizers stress that it’s a family-friendly event.

Speaking of those mystic societies, did you know America’s first organized Mardi Gras celebration was held in 1703 on the Alabama Gulf Coast in Mobile? Mobile also hosted the first formally organized Mardi Gras parade in the United States in 1830.

The traditional day of Epiphany (Jan. 6) is the first day of this weeks-long celebration also known as Carnival. Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is the day before Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday. Parades are held across the Alabama coast during the Carnival season, and we can’t wait to have you join us in Foley for Mardi Gras fun!