All you need is a mask and a sense of adventure to participate in a Mardi Gras parade through downtown Bellingham next week.
It's free and open to all ages and there's no need to register, said organizer Alana Coleman, a local artist. Although many people are sure to wear wild and crazy outfits in Mardi Gras tradition, participants don't necessarily need a costume, she said.
"Everybody can go," Coleman said. "A lot of people dress up their kids and their strollers."
But be sure to leave your inhibitions behind.
"When you put on a mask, you're anonymous, and people don't know who you are," Coleman said. "It gives you a lot of freedom."
"You can be flashy, wear bright colors," Coleman said. "Dressing up is fun. People like to be - how should we say? - a little silly."
Coleman, who owns Mr. Jacks Unlimited, a lighting and garden art business in the Lettered Streets area, said the idea of a Mardi Gras parade jelled about five years ago while she was hanging out with friends.
They dressed in outrageous costumes, danced around downtown to the beat of accompanying musicians, and ended at a local nightclub. They also had a traditional King Cake (a cake-sized cinnamon roll, topped with sugary icing and colored sugar sprinkles - with a good-luck trinket baked inside, often a plastic baby).
"I guess I have always had a thing for costumes. I like theater; I like jazz," Coleman said.
Mardi Gras ("Fat Tuesday" in French) is a feast of overindulgence and celebration in advance of Ash Wednesday, which begins the Lenten season of fasting that culminates with Easter in the Christian faith. It's part of what's called Carnival season in the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches, a period lasting about a month - from the Epiphany to Shrove Tuesday, the day of confession before Ash Wednesday.
Last year's parade had about 30 people, mostly a core of fans who have participated regularly for five years. They're hoping for a bigger parade this year, Coleman said.
Participants should start gathering between 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, in front of Allied Arts, 1418 Cornwall Ave. near Champion Street. The parade will start at 6:30 p.m., following a route from Cornwall Avenue south to Magnolia Street, turning west toward Champion Street and then south on Bay Street to the statue of the giant scepter at Holly and Bay streets. From there, the parade will head east on Holly Street to Railroad Avenue, turning south toward the finish at Boundary Bay Brewery.
They'll be accompanied by a four-piece Dixieland band, composed of guitar, trombone, trumpet and sax.
Masks can be simple or intricate, Coleman said.
She said those looking to make their own masks can find supplies at a craft store such as JoAnn's. But she said inexpensive masks can be made from semi-stiff paper such as paper plates - or simply make papier-mâché on a friend's face. She suggests using scraps of fabric, metal, wood, plastic, paint, or "found" objects.
Traditional Mardi Gras colors are green, purple and gold, Coleman said.
For those who want to dress up, Coleman suggested that flashy is best. She said outrageous colors are the norm, and many costumes mimic royalty, jesters and courtesans in styles from the1800s.
"I'll give away one of my original one-of-a-kind garden scepters to the one with the most Mardi Gras spirit to signify them as the queen or king of the parade," she said.
Also in the spirit of New Orleans tradition, Coleman will have colorful beads to give participants and spectators.
"We hand them out and put them around people's necks, wishing them 'Happy Mardi Gras,'" Coleman said. "Everybody has a good time. It's so much fun - I love it."
