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<\/p>\n\u201cDo you know the best part about Mardi Gras in New Orleans?\u201d asks Ryan Flanery, co-organizer of Saturday\u2019s Historic Uptown Block Party. \u201cThe community.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Historic Uptown neighborhood is set to welcome back the 10th edition of its annual Mardi Gras-themed event Saturday at 2 p.m., on the 700 block of 5th Street N in St. Petersburg.<\/p>\n
Though best-associated with New Orleans, Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is a holiday that dates back more than a thousand years. Since the season of Lent involves sacrificing treats as well as abstaining from meat, people would rush to consume anything they couldn\u2019t eat before Ash Wednesday.<\/p>\n
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From left, Denielle Kennett, unknown, Joe Kennett and Jess Flanery.<\/p>\n
Complete with live music, Uptown\u2019s block party (held as always on Saturday, in deference to working families) will provide just such an opportunity to celebrate. Food will be provided by Bayou Catering, which specializes in Cajun cuisine, and will be available for a small donation.<\/p>\n
For parents with pickier eaters, there is pizza available free of charge \u2013 though donations are always welcome, notes co-organizer Denielle Kennett. Drinks are BYOB.<\/p>\n
While a community event, Kennett emphasized that it\u2019s open to all-comers no matter where they live. She\u2019s helped run the block party the last several years, on the very street where she lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe close off the street, so it\u2019s very kid-friendly, dog-friendly, and family-friendly,\u201d said Kennett. There will be a bounce house, toys, and yard games like cornhole and bucket toss; last year, there was even a between-sets appearance by a kids\u2019 band.<\/p>\n
For Flanery. the event is an opportunity to get \u201ca little bit of Mardi Gras \u2013 and a little bit of New Orleans \u2013 in St. Pete.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Mardi Gras block party started back in 2017,\u201d explained Flanery. \u201cMy parents had just moved to the Uptown neighborhood. I spent years working in and around New Orleans after Katrina, and I fell in love with the city, the people, and the culture.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver in St. Pete, we don\u2019t really celebrate Gasparilla so much, so I was like, \u2018Hey, we should do something related to Mardi Gras.\u2019 And it just so happened I was sitting out on [his parents\u2019] porch one day and I went, \u2018You know, this kind of reminds me of New Orleans.\u2019 And it just went from there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not long after, Flanery made his own home in Uptown. He and his wife Jess, who also founded and co-organizes the event, were even married during the 2020 block party at the adjacent Round Lake Park. Wedding guests processed to the block party, which served as their reception, accompanied by the Gibbs High School Second Line.<\/p>\n
While the block party is a labor of love, the organizers are not planning any Valentine\u2019s Day tie-ins. Organizers note that the area has several shops and restaurants that visitors can explore.<\/p>\n
As for advice, Kennett\u2019s is simple (and applicable to virtually every outdoor festivity on the Suncoast): \u201cBring a chair,\u201d she said with a smile. \u201cAnd a cooler with beverages.\u201d<\/p>\n