(ASBURY PARK, NJ) -- Asbury Park Mardi Gras returns for its 2nd year on Saturday, February 25. The day begins with free family fun in the afternoon with mask making, face painting & music, and then the Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball that night at House of Independents. The Ball features live performances by The VooDUDES and The Marc Stone 3.
1:00pm to 5:00pm - 2nd Annual Mardi Gras mask decorating and contest, with free face painting, and free music. Pick up your free, undecorated mask at Backward Glances, inside the Shoppes at the Arcade, 658 Cookman Avenue. Then visit participating businesses downtown to get free decorations to apply to your mask. Tables with glue will be set up at the Shoppes at the Arcade to design your own special Mardi Gras creation. An adult and kids winner will be chosen at 5:15.
Artists Raven and Jade will be doing free face painting downstairs at the Shoppes at the Arcade. There will be music around the downtown courtesy of the Lakehouse and the Music Saved My Life program.
7:00pm - the 2nd Annual Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball: "New Jersey meets New Orleans”, a benefit for the Asbury Park Music Foundation, takes place at the House of Independents, 572 Cookman Avenue, Asbury Park.
Representing New Jersey will be the return of The VooDUDES. The VooDUDES have been playing a mix of New Orleans funk, blues, boogie-woogie, honky-tonk, with a pinch of Zydeco, Southern soul and Caribbean party music for 25 years. They have played from Montreal to New Orleans and toured Europe, as well as recording six CDs. They got the crowd dancing last year and this year they are bringing a horn section.
Coming from New Orleans are The Marc Stone 3. Marc is a fixture of the New Orleans music scene, been nominated several times for their Best of the Beat awards, tours internationally, and is a DJ on New Orleans’ WWOZ-FM. His albums and side projects find him collaborating with blues legends Walter Wolfman Washington, John Mooney, Benny Turner, and Alvin Youngblood Hart as well as Papa Mali, the Dirty Dozen, Galactic, Honey Island Swamp Band, and Bonerama. The Marc Stone 3 will be making their first ever NJ appearance at Asbury Park Mardi Gras.
Dress in your best Mardi Gras attire to win the costume contest for great prizes from the Asbury Park merchants. Tickets are $20 advance, $25 day of show and are for sale at Backward Glances or at houseofindependents.com. The Ball is sponsored by 1st Constitution Bank.
The Asbury Hotel is offering a discounted room rate for Saturday night with the code “APMardiGras”. The festivities will continue on Sunday with special discounts from Asbury Park merchants when you wear your Mardi Gras beads or mask to shop downtown.
