Community celebrates at the Jackson County Carnival Association Mardi Gras Parade
The Mardi Gras spirit was alive and well over the weekend in Jackson County.
The City of Pascagoula was going out with a bang as the carnival season comes close to the end. The 46th annual Jackson County Carnival Association Parade has become a fundamental part of the community that Mardi Gras lovers look forward to every year. “Me and my family have been doing this since I was born. So, it’s like a tradition.”
“It’s a tradition we’ve been doing for the past eight years now.”
It’s an attraction that brings people in from all over the country. “We’ve got all kind of family from Meridian, Mississippi, all the way to Atlanta out here enjoying ourselves.”
“I just came back in town from Houston for the parade. I’ll never miss the Pascagoula parade. I’m here yearly.”
Tailgating has become an essential part of the Mardi Gras experience. “We come out, block our spot off, and start cooking for the parade. We’re hanging out all morning.”
“My dad, he usually sets up a tent, right in front of the Pascagoula school, and just come out and hang out and chill with our family.”
“We barbecue at my grandma’s house, which is right around the corner. We come out and basically have a good time, man.”
If you’re asking why this parade is so special. “The love, the love, it’s all about love.”
“Everybody is not able to make it back out here every year. So, when you come out and you see a familiar face, you’re like dang I haven’t seen 15-20 years, it’s just you know how you feel, you get that feeling that when you see somebody you haven’t seen in a while, you hug and embrace them, you chop it up you have a good time, and y’all catch up. I mean that’s what makes it so special man.”
If there is one word to describe the annual Jackson County Carnival Association Mardi Gras parade, it’s unity.
