Let the good times roll at Mardi Gras Galveston!
GALVESTON, Texas -- The floats, the beads, the music, the excitement - Mardi Gras Galveston has it all.
More than 20 parades will fill the streets of the island this year. One of the biggest and brightest is the Knights of Momus Grand Night Parade. Revived in 1985, this year the Momus Parade will feature 25 colorful floats. Four new floats were constructed this year.
Float contractor Brian Root found the trailers to get started in Illinois, "I called them and said I need you to send me some new trailers to Galveston and he said what in the world do you need farm trailers in Galveston, TX? I said Mardi Gras floats and he started laughing."
The old floats were built to carry 24 passengers. The new ones are bigger. They can carry up to 34 people and with everything a Mardi Gras float needs - bars and flushing toilets.
Root's construction crew puts the floats together and local Galveston artists bring them to life. Roots says, "When you're looking at it, it's got depth, it's got 3-dimension to it and to do that with a can of spray paint is amazing."
Artist Justin Lopez loves to show his creativity, "they give me a lot of artistic freedom with their ideas, I use my skills to put it together for all to see."
Mardi Gras Galveston is one of Artist Cathy Blume's favorites, "my family always comes down, they have a blast catching beads and seeing my art work come down the streets, it's neat."
