Carnival season will officially kick off in Biloxi on Sunday with the celebration of Twelfth Night beginning at 5 p.m. at the Biloxi Visitors Center, followed by a parade to Biloxi City Hall.
The gathering will begin with the Gulf Coast Carnival Association’s 2019 Royal Court parading through the visitors center and out to the Biloxi Lighthouse to extinguish the Christmas lights on the signature landmark.
Then at 6:30 p.m., the royal court will board Mardi Gras floats and parade along U.S. 90 to Biloxi City Hall, 140 Lameuse St. There, a switch will be flipped and the stately, three-story marble façade will be illuminated in the Carnival colors: purple, green and gold. After a brief presentation, a party will take place on the green space across from city hall from 7:30 to 9 p.m. The public is invited to the affairs.
The occasion also serves as a reminder of the religious significance of Carnival, often lost on the tens of thousands of revelers at Mardi Gras parades. Twelfth Night, the 12th day from Christmas, is the night before the Epiphany, the day when the three wise men visited the infant Jesus, foretelling the revelation of God the Son being born as a human.
See your invite
Listen more about the celebration on the City Desk
See photos from the 2019 celebration
See photos from the 2018 celebration
States of the City: A look back
It’s the first of the year, which means it’s State of the City time, when the Biloxi mayor reports to the public on the city’s program of work.
The annual presentation, which Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich will make Jan. 30 in a Biloxi Bay Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon, will be replayed Jan. 31 at 7 and 8 a.m. and 7 and 8 p.m. on BTV: Biloxi Television.
However, in the weeks leading up to the State of the City, BTV, the city’s municipal TV channel, takes a cue from C-SPAN and its annual State of the Union replays.
Throughout the month of January, BTV will carry a host of the annual State of the City presentations, changing the lineup each week. The annual presentations offer a snapshot of the successes, challenges and issues in Biloxi in a given year.
Here’s lineup for this weekend and next week, which airs morning and evening on the days and times noted:
Today and Saturday (morning and evening)
7:00 – The Year 2007: “Biloxi on the rebound,” Mayor A.J. Holloway discusses post-Katrina challenges. (25 min)
7:30 — The Year 2011: “This will be the year,” construction of Biloxi Visitors Center and Biloxi Civic Center and restoration of historic properties. (30 min)
8:00 — The Year 2012: “Changing the way people look at Biloxi,” Mayor Holloway shows the new Visitors Center and other progress. (27 min)
8:28 — The Year 2013: “A milestone each and every day,” Mayor Holloway discusses progress, large and small. (28 min)
Week of Sunday, Jan. 5 (morning and evening)
7:00 — The Year 2014: “We are arriving at a turning point,” Mayor Holloway discusses MGM Park and more. (16 min prepared video only)
7:25 — The Year 2015: “A city of contrasts,” acting Mayor Kenny Glavan welcomes a surprise guest. (34 min)
8:10 — The Year 2016: “The roads of the future,” Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich delivers his first State of the City address. (46 min)
See the complete BTV schedule for January
See the State of the City presentations on YouTube
News & notes: City Desk, city council, traffic
Podcast: This week’s edition of the City Desk podcast focuses on the Mardi Gras season and the Twelfth Night Celebration. To listen to the program, click here.
City council: The next meeting of the Biloxi City Council will be Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Biloxi City Hall. To see the agenda and supporting documents, click here.
Traffic: See the latest on road work and traffic throughout the city in Traffic Update, published online each day by the city’s Engineering Department. To see the update, along with links to MDOT traffic cameras and Gulf Regional Planning Commission traffic counts, click here.
