By Austin Andre
In the coming weeks, millions will celebrate the over three hundred and fifty-year-old holiday of Mardi Gras.
New Orleans has arguably the most famous Mardi Gras celebration in the world. Its earliest records date back to the 1700s. As of 2022, nearly every major city in the United States has its own unique way of participating in the festivities.
St. Louis stands out among these cities, for it holds deep French roots that are put on display every year in the neighborhood of Soulard. The area itself is based on French and Spanish architecture, which gives the community a similar look to the one found in the French Quarter of New Orleans. However, the celebrations we see today are only 42 years old.
Legend has it that St. Louis’ Mardi Gras story began on a chilly night in February 1980. A man named Alex Brinkmann held a party with his friends, and in the absence of a name for the gathering, they called it a “Mardi Gras party.”
Throughout the years, the friends made the party a tradition, and over the coming decades, the number of attendees only grew. It became so large that even companies like Anheuser-Busch began to sponsor the event, making it the second largest Mardi Gras gathering in the country.
Now, an average of 200 to 400,000 people take part in the celebrations from January through February. Events include parades, dog races, and cook-offs.
There is still time to get in on the action this month for anybody looking to get an authentic taste of St. Louis tradition. For more information about the event, visit https://stlmardigras.org.
