In 2024, Mardi Gras arrived early. Fat Tuesday fell on February 13, which meant the first half of the month was a blur of parades, balls and moon pies across Mobile, Baldwin County and Pensacola. But the February 2024 events calendar did not end when Carnival did. The month also brought the Reese’s Senior Bowl, an Americana headliner at one of Mobile’s best-known music clubs, the Orange Beach Seafood Festival and Car Show, the Mobile Boat Show and Pensacon, the Gulf Coast’s largest pop culture convention. This look back revisits those five events and the traditions behind them.
Parade season had already kicked into gear in late January. For residents and newcomers alike, the full parade schedules for Mobile, Baldwin County and Pensacola were the most consulted documents of early February, but the events below offered alternatives for anyone looking to balance the beads with something different.
Reese’s Senior Bowl and the Counting Crows
The month’s first big event was the Reese’s Senior Bowl on February 3 at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile. As the college and professional football seasons wound down, the game showcased the country’s top senior college players and NFL Draft prospects one last time before the draft. The Senior Bowl has been headquartered in Mobile since 1951.
The week surrounding the game offered fans a unique experience:
- Practices at Hancock Whitney Stadium were open to the public all week.
- A Mardi Gras Player Parade rolled on February 2, blending the city’s two biggest winter traditions.
- A post-game concert at Mardi Gras Park featured the Counting Crows following the day’s scheduled parades.
Hancock Whitney Stadium, on the University of South Alabama campus in west Mobile, became the game’s home after its move from Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Senior Bowl week draws NFL head coaches, general managers and scouts to Mobile every winter, and for many prospects a strong week of practice can move them up draft boards. The overlap with Mardi Gras gives visiting players and fans a taste of what makes Mobile distinctive.
Hiss Golden Messenger at Soul Kitchen
For music fans, February 23 brought Hiss Golden Messenger to Soul Kitchen in downtown Mobile. The band was formed in 2007 in Durham, North Carolina, by singer-songwriter MC Taylor and has released 15 albums since its 2009 debut, including the Grammy-nominated “Terms of Surrender” in 2019.
Hiss Golden Messenger has been a regular presence on the festival circuit and has toured the country many times. The 2024 tour stop supported “Jump for Joy,” released in 2023. The band’s sound weaves heartfelt lyrics into folk-rock melodies for a distinctive style of Americana, the kind of music that fits naturally in an intimate club.
Soul Kitchen, on Dauphin Street in the heart of downtown Mobile’s entertainment district, has hosted national touring acts across rock, country, hip-hop and indie music for years and remains one of the city’s key stops for artists passing through the Gulf Coast.
Orange Beach Seafood Festival and MAAAC Car Show
On February 24, the 32nd Annual Orange Beach Seafood Festival and MAAAC Car Show returned to The Wharf in Orange Beach. The festival offered a full day of food, about 100 arts and crafts booths, music for the whole family, a Kids’ Zone with activities and a large car show featuring antique, classic and hot rod vehicles along Main Street.
The 2024 edition added something new: Jeeps joined the show and were displayed on Wharf Parkway on either side of Marlin Circle. Given the popularity of Jeeps on the Gulf Coast, where beach-ready open-top vehicles are a common sight, it was a natural addition.
There was no admission charge and plenty of parking. The festival has long served as a fundraiser supporting Orange Beach schools, making it one of the city’s most important community events of the year.
Mobile Boat Show at the Convention Center
The same weekend, February 23 through 25, the Mobile Boat Show filled the Mobile Convention Center. Billed as the top boat show in Alabama, the 2024 event featured a wide selection of boats, motors, personal watercraft and marine accessories.
The show also offered family entertainment, including:
- Trout pond fishing
- Twiggy the Skiing Squirrel
- Kids Fishing 101
- Live music
Adult tickets were $12 online and $15 at the door, and children 15 and under were admitted free.
A late-winter boat show makes sense on the Gulf Coast, where the boating season begins early and many families plan purchases ahead of spring. The Mobile Convention Center, on the downtown riverfront along the Mobile River, provides a large indoor space for the event, and its location puts visitors a short walk from downtown restaurants.
Pensacon 2024 in Downtown Pensacola
Across the state line, Pensacon 2024 ran February 23 through 25 in downtown Pensacola. The convention bills itself as the Gulf Coast’s premier pop culture event, celebrating science fiction, fantasy, horror, comic books, cosplay, animation, video games, books and more.
The three-day event draws tens of thousands of attendees and spreads across multiple venues, including the Pensacola Bay Center, the Pensacola Cultural Center, the Rex Theatre, the Pensacola Museum of Commerce and the De Luna Event Space. Single-day and weekend ticket options were available.
One of Pensacon’s defining features is the way it takes over downtown. Costumed fans walk between venues along Palafox Street and nearby blocks, turning the whole historic district into part of the convention. Celebrity guests, artists, vendors and panels fill the schedule, making it one of the biggest annual draws to Pensacola outside of summer.
A Crowded Final Weekend
The last full weekend of February 2024 illustrated just how packed the Gulf Coast calendar can get once Carnival ends. On a single weekend, residents could choose between a boat show in Mobile, a pop culture convention in Pensacola, a seafood festival and car show in Orange Beach and a folk-rock concert downtown. For a region that spends the first half of the month focused on parades, it was a reminder that the Gulf Coast calendar offers something for nearly every interest.
Planning for Future Februaries
Each of these events is typically held annually, but dates, venues and lineups change, especially as Mardi Gras moves around the calendar from year to year. Anyone planning to attend a future Senior Bowl, Seafood Festival, Mobile Boat Show or Pensacon should check with organizers for current schedules and ticket information.
A few practical reminders apply every year: consult parade schedules before driving downtown during Carnival, buy convention and concert tickets early and be prepared for February’s swings between spring-like afternoons and chilly, rainy days.