The Mobile Museum of Art marked its 50th anniversary with a new exhibition exploring the artistry behind Mardi Gras, launching it with a free two-day Family Festival that brought floats, marching bands and Carnival food to Langan Park.
The exhibition, focused on the art and design traditions behind Mobile’s Carnival celebrations, is set to run for a full six months, offering visitors a behind-the-scenes look at the craftsmanship that goes into the city’s Mardi Gras festivities. Museum admission was free to the public for the festival weekend, running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.
The opening celebration kicked off Saturday morning with music from Murphy High School’s Jazz Band, followed by opening remarks from Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson. Longtime Carnival figure Joe Cain appeared at the event as an honorary grand marshal, tying the museum celebration to the deeper folk history of Mobile’s Mardi Gras traditions.
Throughout the weekend, the festival featured floats and maskers from several of the city’s parading organizations, along with performances from a lineup of area high school marching bands, including groups from Citronelle, Mary G. Montgomery, LeFlore, Alma Bryant, B.C. Rain, Davidson and Bay Minette high schools. Sunday’s musical lineup shifted to local brass bands, including a rotation of well-known second-line groups performing throughout the afternoon.
Family-friendly programming ran throughout both days, including an instrument petting zoo, second-line dance instruction, arts and crafts stations, and a photo booth. Children were invited to pick up a festival passport at one of three welcome tents and collect a stamp at each stop; a completed passport earned kids a set of beads featuring a commemorative emblem from the exhibition.
Organizers coordinated free parking and shuttle service from several nearby locations, including the Spring Hill Swim Club, the Mobile Botanical Gardens and two areas within Langan Municipal Park, to help manage the crowds expected for the free event. Additional parking for high school groups and visitors needing accessible parking was arranged near the city complex across Museum Drive from the museum itself.
The festival offered a family-oriented complement to the museum’s new long-running exhibition, giving residents and visitors an early look at the artistic side of a Carnival season still months away, while also spotlighting the community groups and school bands that help bring Mobile’s Mardi Gras traditions to life each year.