Gumbo and bread pudding from Mary Mahoney’s Old French House Restaurant, pasta from the Half Shell Oyster House and king cakes from Le Bakery will be on the menu for this evening’s Twelfth Night celebration, which kicks off at 5 at the Visitors Center before moving to the Mardi Gras Museum.
The Visitors Center portion of the free public affair will be indoors, with light hors d’oeuvres, and the heavy fare, along with hot chocolate and other refreshments, will be served at the outdoor gathering at the Mardi Gras Museum, which is on Rue Magnolia, across from Mary Mahoney’s.
“We’re expecting about 200 people,” said Biloxi Visitors Center Manager Bill Raymond. “In the four years we’ve been doing this, we’ve seen the attendance grow about 20 percent each year.”
Twelfth Night signals the official changing of the seasons from Christmastime to Carnival. Leaders of Gulf Coast Carnival Association will gather at the Visitors Center before moving outdoors to extinguish the Christmas decorations on the Biloxi Lighthouse and then parade to the Mardi Gras Museum, where they will illuminate the purple, gold and green lights adorning the outside of the two-story Mardi Gras Museum.
And the weather? Said Raymond: “We’re telling people it’s going to be chilly, so dress warmly.”
News and notes
Children’s walking parade: Applications are now available for the annual Biloxi Children’s Mardi Gras Walking Parade, which is open to those ages 12 and under. Participants can walk, bike, skate or be pushed in strollers or wagons in this parade, which takes place Saturday, Jan. 30.  Applications are being distributed this week through Biloxi schools and can also be picked up from the Biloxi Visitors Center or at Biloxi recreation facilities.  Or you can get one now by clicking here.
Mardi Gras dates: Fat Tuesday arrives on Feb. 9 this year, but you’ll find a host of parades and other events taking place in the roll up to that big day. To see an online listing of Gulf Coast Mardi Gras parades and related events, click here.
Council meetings reminder: The Biloxi City Council will meet at 4 and 6 p.m. today at City Hall. To see the agendas and supporting documents for the two public meetings, click here.
