Over the weekend we visited a couple of Mardi Gras events. First up was the Carnival de Levee at Newport on the Levee. Running from 1-6 on Saturday, the event featured aerial acrobatics and a Cajun band. It was billed as a family friendly celebration but my young kids were not impressed and the oldest just wanted to go to Gameworks instead.

Newport Express

After a few minutes watching the performers we all headed outside to enjoy the surprisingly nice weather. We discovered the Newport Express mini, trackless train ride which entertained the kids on a five or ten minute ride around the Newport on the Levee complex for $3.00 each. From there we moved on from Newport on the Levee. We’ve enjoyed other events there, but this was not one of them.

Hey Ladies

We had a little better luck with Sunday’s celebration, Mardi Gras at Findlay Market, unfortunately the weather was not nearly as nice. A tent was setup outside the market with bands playing throughout the event held from 10-4. Free samples of a traditional lowland seafood boil were given out and beer was available from the OTR Biergarten. Many of the booths inside the market had Mardi Gras themed decorations and special food offerings for the day.

Lagniappe at Findlay Market

We stayed for a couple of hours to enjoy some of the music and sample some of the food. Had the weather been better we might have stayed even longer, but the roads were getting icy and a major snow storm was supposed to be coming our way. At least the weather is looking better for Bockfest this weekend!