Let the good times roll.
Temperatures hovered around freezing this morning during the annual Soulard Mardi Gras Parade in St. Louis.
But that didn’t stop thousands of people from making it out the festivities.
Becky Pierce of South St. Louis City said despite the event’s rowdy reputation, there’s something for revelers of all ages.
“This is just awesome," Pierce said. "You know, a lot of it is family friendly. If you come away from the Soulard area a lot of it is family oriented."
Still, there was plenty of partying to be found, Kellen Borchers drove in from Collinsville, Ill.
"It’s something to do before Cardinals season comes around," Borchers said. "You also have a Blues game tonight, so it gives people something to do all day. If people are going to the Blues game, they can come here and chill.”
Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist Mike Peters was this year’s grand marshal, and the parade’s theme was carnival comics.
The Mardi Gras celebration in St. Louis is the second largest in the country, and more than 200,000 people are expected to fill Soulard by the end of this weekend.
The Fat Tuesday parade gets underway at 7 p.m. on Tuesday next week at the corner of Washington and Broadway.
