The Gulf Coast will officially change from the holiday season to Carnival season on Tuesday with the celebration of Twelfth Night beginning with a 5 p.m. gathering at the Biloxi Visitors Center, followed by a parade to the Mardi Gras Museum.
“The Biloxi Visitors Center is where we began the holiday season, with the lighting of the decorations at the Biloxi Lighthouse,” said Visitors Center Manager Bill Raymond, “and this will be where we also will end the holiday season as we usher in the Carnival season.”
The occasion also serves as 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.
The Twelfth Night gathering, sponsored by the City of Biloxi, Biloxi Mardi Gras Museum, and Gulf Coast Carnival Association, will begin at 5 p.m. at the Visitors Center, 1050 Beach Blvd., and at 6 p.m., the reigning Royal Court of Gulf Coast Carnival Association will be presented to extinguish the Christmas lights at the Biloxi Lighthouse.
The entourage will then board a float and parade to the Mardi Gras Museum at 119 Rue Magnolia, where, at 6:30 p.m., the lights at the Mardi Gras Museum will be illuminated, signaling the beginning of Carnival season.
See photos from last year’s Twelfth Night gathering
Council to consider water rates, tax abatements and short-term rentals
The Biloxi City Council ushers in the New Year with two meetings on Tuesday, a 4 p.m. workshop to discuss water and sewer rates and ongoing infrastructure work, followed by a 6 p.m. meeting where council members will vote on whether to amend the city’s tax abatement program.
Both meetings will be at City Hall, 140 Lameuse St., and are open to the public.
During their 6 p.m. meeting, councilmembers also are expected to vote on establishing locations and regulations governing short-term rentals, and will consider a measure to extend the city’s membership in the Motor Vehicle for Hire Authority.
See the meeting agendas and supporting documents
News and notes
Bridge out: The Lorraine Road bridge saw its last vehicle just before noon today, and when motorists travel that route six months from now, they’ll be riding on a new bridge. To see background and progress from December, click here.
Road work: To see the status report on streets and drainage work throughout the city, click here.
Public meetings: The Architectural and Historical Review Commissions will not meet this week, but the Biloxi Planning Commission meets Thursday at 2 p..m. To see the agenda for the meeting, click here.
