Things to Do

Let the Good Times Roll: Where to Celebrate Mardi Gras in Washington

New Orleans’s first Mardi Gras parade of 2008 was in early January, and the big day of Fat Tuesday (February 5) is fast approaching. Can’t make it to the Big Easy this year? Check out how Washington celebrates Carnival. (The official colors of the season

Mardi Gras Celebration
K Street Lounge

Saturday, February 2, 8 PM
Hosted by Professionals in the City, this Carnival blowout promises specials on beer and wine, special vodka drinks, music and dancing, and lots of beads. Also, you can enter to win a trip to Iceland. Professionals in the City members can buy tickets for $10 before January 25; membership is free.
1301 K St., NW; 202-962-3933
prosinthecity.com
kstreetdc.com

Ceiba
February 1 through 5, Ceiba is celebrating the season with samba bands, beads, and masks. The Latin American restaurant will also offer a signature Carnival drink, the Ceiba Samba (pineapple-infused Cachaça and a scoop of passion-fruit sorbet with a sugared rim).
701 14th St., NW; 202-393-3983
ceibarestaurant.com

Clarendon Mardi Gras Parade
February 5, 8 PM
Organizers plan to throw 5,000 pounds of beads at this year’s parade in Arlington’s Clarendon neighborhood. It starts at Veitch Street near the Court House Metro stop and ends near the Clarendon stop. The grand marshal is Doug Hill, Channel 7’s chief meteorologist.
703-812-8881
clarendon.org/mardi.html
Mardi Gras Family Day at the Anacostia Community Museum
February 2, 10 AM to 2 PM
An event for the kids with costume and mask making, beads, face painting, musical entertainment, storytelling, and more.
1901 Fort Pl., SE; 202-633-4844
anacostia.si.edu/calendar/calendar.htm

Mardi Gras Madness Party
Phillips Flagship Restaurant

February 2, 9 PM to 2 AM
Beads, dancing, and seafood and drink specials, including $4 Hurricanes and a free Mardi Gras mask for the first 200 guests. DJ Bourbon will spin Mardi Gras and dance music. You must be 21 to get in.
900 Water St., SW; 202-488-8515

Bourbon Street Bash
McFadden’s Restaurant and Saloon

February 5, 5 PM to closing
A DJ and food and drink specials will keep the party going. Admission is $7, but students with ID get in for $5.
2401 Pennsylvania Ave., NW; 443-524-1080
lindypromo.com/index2.php

Mardi Gras on U Street
Bohemian Caverns/Mahogany Restaurant
February 5, 7 PM to midnight
Have a N’awlins night with jazz, Cajun, zydeco, and hip-hop music, bead and mask giveaways, and food and drinks that rule in the Big Easy. Tickets are $10 in advance (including a free Hurricane and beads); proceeds go to the Louisiana Network, a nonprofit helping with Hurricane Katrina relief.
11th and U sts., NW
mardigrasonu.com