Mardi Gras Festivals, Chocolate Festivals, a Yeti Festival and more.
Also an announcement concerning the 2024 Solar Eclipse!
Welcome back, Festival Fans!
Before I tell you about what’s going on this weekend, I did want to make an important announcement…
…about the upcoming 2024 Solar Eclipse.
The eclipse is passing through the states of Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Western New York and most of those states are throwing all sorts of celebrations and festivals to welcome the eclipse as well as all the travelers coming to see it.
Therefore, if you are putting on a festival or celebration – or you know someone who is – please let me know and I will list it on the appropriate festival guide.
Festivals should have food trucks and live music as a minimum. Hopefully, there will also be non-food vendors and other activities as well.
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Fat Tuesday is less than a week away, so you know there will be plenty of Mardi Gras celebrations and festivals this weekend and early next week.
You can find Mardi Gras Festivals in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas.
There are also…
- Chocolate Festivals in Indiana, Tennessee and Virginia
- Beer Festivals in Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, New Jersey, and North Carolina,
- a Bat Festival in Pennsylvania
- a Yeti Festival in Illinois
- a Kite Festival in Minnesota
- all sorts of Winter and Ice Festivals
- and some Lunar New Year Festivals in Texas.
Florida is the state with largest assortment of festivals this weekend, offering Spring Festivals, Highland Games, Seafood Festivals, a Pirate Festival, a Mutt Strutt, various Cultural Festivals and more.
Here are some suggestions in each state:
Alabama
Wetumpka Mardi Gras Festival
Arkansas
Fayetteville Mardi Gras
Delaware
No festivals this weekend.
Florida
Leesburg Mardi Gras Party in the Street, Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ and Blues Festival (Zephyrhills)
Georgia
Savannah Irish Festival
Illinois
Rockton Yeti Fest
Indiana
Chocolate Fest (New Haven)
Iowa
Steins and Vines (Sioux City)
Kentucky
No festivals this weekend.
Louisiana
Cajun Mardi Gras Festival (Eunice)
Maryland
No festivals this weekend.
Michigan
Saginaw Winter Brew Festival, Beulah Winterfest
Minnesota
The Big Freeze (Albert Lea)
Mississippi
Biggest Small Town Mardi Gras Festival and Parade (Noxapater)
Missouri
Mardi Gras Parade and After Party (St. Charles)
New Jersey
Brewsology Beer Fest (Jersey City)
New York
No festivals this weekend.
North Carolina
New Bern Mardi Gras
Pennsylvania
Scranton Ice Festival
South Carolina
Taste of Gullah Festival (Hilton Head Island)
Tennessee
Maple Syrup Festival (Johnson City)
Texas
Freeport Mardi Gras Festival, Mardi Gras of Southeast Texas (Port Arthur)
Virginia
Chocolate Fest (Ashland)
Washington, DC
No festivals this weekend.
West Virginia
No festivals this weekend.
Wisconsin
Sturgeon Spectacular (Fond du Lac)
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Concerning updates to the 2024 Festival Guides, I have finished going through September and am taking a short breather before working on October.
Feel free to reach out to me if you are able to confirm some 2024 festival dates.
Thanks!
Have a great weekend, everyone!
And, if you happen to be in Ohio this weekend, check this weekend’s post at OhioFestivals.net to see what’s going on. You can find this week’s post at https://ohiofestivals.net/ohio-weekend-021124/
Until next week…
Love, Peace and Festival Grease!
Upcoming Festival Weekend: February 8-11, 2024
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MAP of festival and fair food cities this weekend.
If you can’t see the map on your smartphone, click HERE.
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My Experiences of this Weekend’s Festivals
2/9-2/11 – South Gulf Coast Florida Vintage Market Days: “Just Beachy” – Fort Myers, Florida – My Review
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ALABAMA
2/10 – Wetumpka Mardi Gras Festival – Wetumpka
2/11 – Joe Cain Day – Mobile
ARKANSAS
2/10 – SoMardi Gras – Little Rock
2/10 – Fayetteville Mardi Gras – Fayetteville
DELAWARE
No festivals this weekend.
FLORIDA
2/8-2/11 – ZOOLights XII – Jacksonville
2/9 – Soul Fest – Oakland Park
2/9-2/10 – Grills Gone Wild – Davenport
2/9-2/11 – St. Vincent Ferrer Parish Festival – Delray Beach
2/9-2/11 – South Gulf Coast Florida Vintage Market Days: “Just Beachy” – Fort Myers – My Review
2/9-2/11 – Bonita Springs Shrimp and Music Festival: Winter – Bonita Springs
2/9-2/11 – Seminole Tribal Fair and Pow Wow – Hollywood
2/10 – The Fuzzy Pineapple Dessert Festival – Tallahassee
2/10 – Tamarac Multi Cultural Festival – Tamarac
Weekend continues below…
2/10 – Mulberry Founders’ Day – Mulberry
2/10 – Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ and Blues Festival – Zephyrhills
2/10 – Suncoast Scots: Scottish Highland Games and Celtic Festival – Palmetto
2/10 – Soul Vegan Festival – Miami Beach
2/10 – Saint George Island Shrimp Fest – Eastpoint
2/10* – Art in the Park – Moore Haven – CANCELLED
2/10 – Lemon Bay Cracker Fair – Englewood
2/10 – Honey and Arts Festival – St. Petersburg
2/10 – Riverwalk Chili Cook Off – Fort Lauderdale
Weekend continues below…
2/10 – Mutt Strutt (Edison Festival of Lights) – Fort Myers
2/10 – Leesburg Mardi Gras Party in the Street – Leesburg
2/10-2/11 – L.B. Brown Heritage Festival – Bartow
2/10-2/11 – Fort Pierce Seafood and Pirate Festival – Fort Pierce
2/10-2/11 – Florida Renaissance Festival and Craft Village II – Deerfield Beach
2/10-2/11 – ArtsFest – Stuart
2/10-2/11 – Edison Ford Spring Garden Festival – Fort Myers
2/10-2/11 – West Palm Seafood Festival – West Palm Beach
2/11 – East West Music and Dance Festival – Tampa
2/13 – Pensacola Mardi Gras Fat Tuesday Priscus Celebration – Pensacola
GEORGIA
2/9-2/10 – K-BAY Mardi Gras Festival – Kingsland
2/10 – Atlanta Winter Beer Fest – Atlanta
2/10 – Savannah Irish Festival – Savannah
2/10-2/11 – Colonial Faire and Muster – Savannah
ILLINOIS
2/7-2/10 – Rockton Yeti Fest – Rockton
2/10 – Argenta IceFest – Argenta
2/10 – Chain O’ Lakes Fishing Derby and Winter Festival – Antioch
2/10-2/11 – Spring Valley Winterfest – Schaumburg
INDIANA
2/9 – Chocolate Fest – New Haven
2/10 – Brewers of Indiana Guild Winterfest – Indianapolis
IOWA
2/9-2/10 – Winter Blues Fest – Des Moines
2/10 – I’ll Make Me a World in Iowa: African American Festival – Clive
2/10 – Steins and Vines – Sioux City
KENTUCKY
No festivals this weekend.
LOUISIANA
2/9-2/13 – Le Festival de Mardi Gras I – Lafayette
2/9-2/13 – Cajun Mardi Gras Festival I – Eunice
2/10 – Tết Festival at Mary Queen of Vietnam Church – New Orleans
2/10 – Baton Rouge Mardi Gras Festival – Baton Rouge
2/10 – Krewe of Gemini Mardi Gras Parade/Red River Mardi Gras Bash II – Shreveport
2/10 – Jennings Mardi Gras Pardi – Jennings
2/11 – Newcomers Mardi Gras Celebration – St. Martinsville
2/12 – Lundi Gras Festival – New Orleans
2/13 – Carnival d’ Acadie – Crowley
2/13 – Tee Mamou-Iota Mardi Gras Folklife Festival – Iota
2/13 – Lake Charles Mardi Gras Block Party – Lake Charles
MARYLAND/WASHINGTON, DC
No festivals this weekend.
MICHIGAN
2/7-2/10 – Michigan Tech Winter Carnival – Houghton
2/7-2/11 – Michigan Ice Festival – Munising
2/8-2/10 – Frostbite Winter Festival – Harrison
2/8-2/11 – Snowsfest – Cedarville
2/9-2/10 – Downtown Harbor Springs Ice Fest – Harbor Springs
2/10 – Winterfest I – Pentwater
2/10 – Lansing Winterfest II – Lansing
2/10 – Saginaw Winter Brew Festival – Saginaw
2/10 – Beulah Winterfest – Beulah
MINNESOTA
2/5-2/11 – Ely Winter Festival II – Ely
2/9-2/10 – Winter Frolic – Two Harbors
2/10 – Kites on Ice Festival – Buffalo
2/10 – The Big Freeze – Albert Lea
MISSISSIPPI
2/9 – Krewe de Roux Festival Parade and Block Party – Brandon
2/10 – Krewe de Roux Festival: Gumbo Cook-Off – Brandon
2/10 – Magnolia State Bank Chili Cook Off – Laurel
2/10 – Biggest Small Town Mardi Gras Festival and Parade – Noxapater
2/10 – Carnaval de Mardi Gras and Gumbo Cook-off – Vicksburg
MISSOURI
2/10 – Mardi Gras Parade and After Party – St. Charles
NEW JERSEY
2/10 – Brewsology Beer Fest – Jersey City
NEW YORK
No festivals this weekend.
NORTH CAROLINA
2/10 – Queen City Brewers Festival – Charlotte
2/10 – New Bern Mardi Gras – New Bern
2/10 – Winey Grapes: Greenville Wine Festival – Greenville
2/10 – North Carolina Black Heritage Festival – Concord
OHIO
Ohio Festivals can be found at ohiofestivals.net/ohio-festivals/
PENNSYLVANIA
2/9-2/10 – Carved in Ice Festival and Chili Cook-Off – Butler
2/9-2/10 – Scranton Ice Festival – Scranton
2/10 – Bat Fest at Lincoln Caverns – Huntingdon
2/10 – Groundhog Wine Festival – Clearfield
SOUTH CAROLINA
2/6-2/10 – Colour of Music: Black Classical Musicians Festival – Charleston
2/10 – Taste of Gullah Festival – Hilton Head Island
2/10 – Mardi Gras Columbia – Columbia
TENNESSEE
2/5-2/11 – Skyland Ranch Festival of Lights XV – Sevierville
2/9-2/10 – Chocolate Fest – Jonesborough
2/10 – Maple Syrup Festival – Johnson City
TEXAS
2/7-2/10 – Laredo Birding Festival – Laredo
2/8-2/11 – Beaumont Mardi Gras – Beaumont
2/8-2/11 – Mardi Gras of Southeast Texas – Port Arthur
2/9-2/10 – Mardi Gras Galveston II – Galveston
2/9-2/10 – LaMardi Gras – Lamar
2/10 – Big Top Shopping Festival at the Fortbend Epicenter – Rosenberg
2/10 – Bud Light Mardi Gras Festival and River Parade – San Antonio
2/10 – La Porte Mardi Gras on Main – La Porte
Weekend continues below…
2/10 – Mardi Gras Nocona Style – Nocona
2/10 – Pardi Gras – Aransas Pass
2/10 – Texas Lunar Festival – Houston
2/10 – Southlake Spring Festival – Southlake
2/10 – Lunar New Year Festival at Grandscape Texas – The Colony
2/10 – Freeport Mardi Gras Festival – Freeport
2/10-2/11 – Lunar New Year at Asia Times Square III – Grand Prairie
2/10-2/11 – Faire of Champions VI – Palestine
2/11 – Lunar New Year at Discovery Green – Houston
2/13 – Taste of the Triangle – Beaumont
2/13 – Mardi Craw – Burleson
VIRGINIA
2/9-2/11 – Winter Lantern Festival XI – Tysons
2/10 – Chocolate Fest – Ashland
2/10-2/11 – Coastal Virginia Magazine WineFest – Virginia Beach
WEST VIRGINIA
No festivals this weekend.
WISCONSIN
2/8-2/10 – Luck Winter Carnival – Luck
2/9-2/11 – Sturgeon Spectacular – Fond du Lac
2/11 – Scandihoovian Winter Festival – Mount Horeb
Festival Guides
Alabama | Arkansas | Delaware | Florida | Georgia
Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kentucky | Louisiana
Maryland | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri
New Jersey | New York | North Carolina | Ohio | Pennsylvania
South Carolina | Tennessee | Texas | Virginia
Washington, DC | West Virginia | Wisconsin
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