2nd Annual Asbury Park Mardi Gras

Join us for free family fun with mask making, face painting & music on Saturday afternoon 2/25, then the Asbury Park Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball at night. Here’s all the details:

1:00 to 500: 2nd Annual Mardi Gras mask decorating and contest, free face painting, and free music

Pick up your free, undecorated mask at Backward Glances, inside the Shoppes at the Arcade, 658 Cookman Avenue. Then visit businesses downtown to get free decorations to apply to your mask. Participating businesses include Uncorked, Shelter Home, Heaven, Purple Glaze, Food Lube, Hot Sand, Words!, Hot Mess, Sheby and Sheby, Flux Modern, AP Moto Club, B & G Home Interiors, Boho Hair Salon, and the Pink Elephant Pottery Studio.

Tables with glue will be set up at the Shoppes at the Arcade to design your own special Mardi Gras creation. An adult and kids winner will be chosen at 5:15.

Raven will be returning for free face painting downstairs at the Shoppes at the Arcade. There will be music around the downtown courtesy of the Lakehouse and the Music Saved My Life program.

7:00 Doors, 8:00 Show: The 2nd Annual Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball: “New Jersey meets New Orleans” at the House of Independents, 572 Cookman Ave.

It’s going to be a blast! We’ve got the Marc Stone 3, coming from New Orleans for their first ever NJ appearance! Marc Stone has spent the last two decades on the New Orleans scene, earning nominations for Best Blues Album 2015 and Best Bluest Artist 2014 from OffBeat Magazine’s Best of the Beat Awards and racking up years of festival appearances and international tours. His albums and side projects find him collaborating with Blues legends Walter Wolfman Washington, John Mooney, Benny Turner, and Alvin Youngblood Hart as well as Papa Mali, the Dirty Dozen, Galactic, Honey Island Swamp Band, and Bonerama. Marc keeps the music rolling as host of the Soul Serenade on venerated NOLA radio station WWOZ 90.7-fm. His three piece band will feature one of his earliest Blues mentors – NY State Blues Hall of fame member Jerry Dugger on bass, and bayou-bred young lion Terry Scott, Jr. from Houma, La. on drums. You don’t want to miss this set!

And representing New Jersey: the return of last year’s faves The VooDUDES. The band’s sound comes from their love of American Roots music from the Gulf Coast. Blues, Rock, Country, Zydeco and R&B grooves are guaranteed to make hands clap and feet stomp. They got everyone dancing last year. This year they are bringing horns to increase the party!

All profits from the ball go to our local charity Asbury Park Music Foundation. Dress in your best Mardi Gras attire to win the costume contest for amazing prizes from the Asbury Park merchants. Tickets are $20 advance, $25 day of show. Tickets are on sale at Backward Glances (with no service fee) at House of Independents during all shows, or on Ticketweb.

After all this excitement, you’re going to need a place to crash. Our friends at the Asbury Hotel are offering a discounted room rate for Saturday night; just use the online code “APMardiGras”.

The festivities will continue on Sunday 2/26 with special discounts from Asbury Park merchants when you wear your Mardi Gras beads or mask to shop downtown .

This was a blast last year–check out the pics–don’t miss it!

Hope you can join us in Asbury Park: where music lives and the good times roll!