Mardi Gras at the PAC!

The FIVE FOOT TWO Jazz Band from Port Washington will headline the Mardi Gras celebration at the Plymouth Arts Center on Friday, March 1, 2019 playing from 7-10 PM. The band will perform traditional New Orleans Jazz music fitting of the occasion. The evening will include the Mardi Gras/New Orleans experience in downtown Plymouth, with music for listening and dancing, complimentary Mardi Gras Beads, and a free photo booth. Dessert will be available for purchase. Cash Bar. Costumes are optional, although wearing a Mardi Gras mask is encouraged. Tickets for reserved table seating are $8 in advance and $10 at the door; available at the PAC Box Office, 520 East Mill Street, Downtown Plymouth, call, (920) 892-8409, (voicemail 24/7) or conveniently online at www.plymoutharts.org. Visa and Mastercard accepted.

The New Orleans jazz style of music was popularized in the early 1900s. Rick King, the band’s director, said, “It was a unique combination of Southern, Cuban and Creole influence that gave its distinctive sound. Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton were two of the pioneers and they played to packed audiences in the French Quarter neighborhood along with dozens of other aspiring artists.” The style was also called Dixieland Music, the Southern influence, and today traditional New Orleans Jazz and Dixieland are synonymous.

The association of New Orleans Jazz music with the celebration of Mardi Gras is recognized worldwide. Mardi Gras, which in French means ‘Fat Tuesday,’ began as a carnival celebration, beginning after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday. Fat Tuesday reflected the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season.

While the New Orleans Mardi Gras is widely recognized in the United States, other large celebrations are held around the world. In Belgium, it is one of the most important days of the year and it is the summit of the Carnival of Binche. The day is filled with music, street performers, costumed actors and singing to reflect their penitential season.