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Mardi Gras 2020

"Classic" (returning) floats look as good as they have in two decades, really vibrant color this year. New floats look great as well -- really a fan of the pirate ship. Dancers were walking half-naked in 60-degree weather but still were smiling and seemingly having a blast. Still easily the best parade in Orlando.

Not sure if it was the (Florida) cold, or a lack of enthusiasm for The Roots, or something else, but hardly the most crowded I've seen the event.
 
That’s... weird. Can’t say that I am a fan. How do people even know when it goes live? It just seems like a big gamble. It was nice to be able to just show up early and all but guarantee a spot. Plus, aren’t most stand-by float rider spots given from no-shows and leftover bands.

Also of note, it looks like Animal Actors is the new congregating point, according to the app.
It is. Much more convenient as they put you in the theater when you’re in holding, so you can sit on the bleachers and the nearby restroom is actually made for adults (for those that have ridden a float and had to use the Barney restroom, you know what I’m talking about).

"Classic" (returning) floats look as good as they have in two decades, really vibrant color this year. New floats look great as well -- really a fan of the pirate ship. Dancers were walking half-naked in 60-degree weather but still were smiling and seemingly having a blast. Still easily the best parade in Orlando.

Not sure if it was the (Florida) cold, or a lack of enthusiasm for The Roots, or something else, but hardly the most crowded I've seen the event.
The night was definitely pretty dead outside of parade and concert area. And even then...
 
I think the cold, the soggy morning, and Running Universal may have had a factor with the crowds.

Either way, I loved what they did to the old floats. Gator looks great!
Running Universal wasn’t highly attended either though. I definitely think the cold was the major factor.
 
Noun. glow-up (plural glow-ups) The complete transformation of a person's appearance for the better.
To each there own, but IMO they made it worse.. like they base is just a brick wall now with the light up symbol. And the gator just comes off tacky
 
To each there own, but IMO they made it worse.. like they base is just a brick wall now with the light up symbol. And the gator just comes off tacky

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OMG... Universal Mardi Gras was fantastic fun......I never thought I would attend this since it's a time of year I don't want to vacation in Florida for various reasons. But with my spur of the moment trip to Orlando to visit my good English friend Mark @UK-Trigg , I accidentally wondered into being able to spend Saturday, in a cold misty ugly rain day, at USF for the first day of the Mardi Gras. I absolutely loved it, it was so much fun.....The food was very good and I was able to hit the booths before the lines got real long. I was surprised at the relatively inexpensive price of the mixed drinks. The Bloody Mary, very tasty, combo with Jambalaya food order was especially good. A great bargain. The most enjoyable aspect though, was when apx. 6 or 7 dozen dancers from the parade flooded the streets in front of Fallon at around 4:15, and proceeded to dance with the crowd for about 45 minutes, accompanied by a enjoyable old tyme Dixieland Band. A great party atmosphere that was.....And then the Parade. I was able to get into the very small AP reserved area in front of Mel's. The fellow AP'ers said it's the best spot for beads and to watch the parade. And, as a plus, you get the parade twice, once as it starts, and a second time as it ends, also right in front of the AP area. I caught 23 sets of beads! Not bad for a first time, but mostly credit to the superb location. The Parade floats were beautiful and soooo professionally done. Actually, every float was in such good shape they all looked new. And, soooo many Stilt Walkers. I never realized there were that many trained /skilled in that. I stayed in the cold for the 2 hour concert. By the second hour it felt as cold as Pittsburgh in the winter, and I had to put my hoodie up. It was a good thing I dressed layered for the day since the weather was so miserable. ...and the concert....I didn't originally plan on staying long since I don''t like rap music. BUT, the musicians were 'so good' I was enthralled by their talent, the solos, and stayed until it was over. So, damn good concert too, .................
 
OMG... Universal Mardi Gras was fantastic fun......I never thought I would attend this since it's a time of year I don't want to vacation in Florida for various reasons. But with my spur of the moment trip to Orlando to visit my good English friend Mark @UK-Trigg , I accidentally wondered into being able to spend Saturday, in a cold misty ugly rain day, at USF for the first day of the Mardi Gras. I absolutely loved it, it was so much fun.....The food was very good and I was able to hit the booths before the lines got real long. I was surprised at the relatively inexpensive price of the mixed drinks. The Bloody Mary, very tasty, combo with Jambalaya food order was especially good. A great bargain. The most enjoyable aspect though, was when apx. 6 or 7 dozen dancers from the parade flooded the streets in front of Fallon at around 4:15, and proceeded to dance with the crowd for about 45 minutes, accompanied by a enjoyable old tyme Dixieland Band. A great party atmosphere that was.....And then the Parade. I was able to get into the very small AP reserved area in front of Mel's. The fellow AP'ers said it's the best spot for beads and to watch the parade. And, as a plus, you get the parade twice, once as it starts, and a second time as it ends, also right in front of the AP area. I caught 23 sets of beads! Not bad for a first time, but mostly credit to the superb location. The Parade floats were beautiful and soooo professionally done. Actually, every float was in such good shape they all looked new. And, soooo many Stilt Walkers. I never realized there were that many trained /skilled in that. I stayed in the cold for the 2 hour concert. By the second hour it felt as cold as Pittsburgh in the winter, and I had to put my hoodie up. It was a good thing I dressed layered for the day since the weather was so miserable. ...and the concert....I didn't originally plan on staying long since I don''t like rap music. BUT, the musicians were 'so good' I was enthralled by their talent, the solos, and stayed until it was over. So, damn good concert too, .................
Yep, this is Mardi Gras for ya! Always a blast, hoping I catch the final weekend this year. Its when we always visited Universal and I just love what they do with it. And yes, THE FOOD!!! Watching Tracker's preview of the offerings this year made me absolutely starving. Glad you had a great time!
 
Mardi Gras returns to Universal Orlando, celebrating 25 years of parades and partying at Universal Studios Florida.

 
We are heading down to Mardi Gras at the end of March for a couple of days. We've only been one other time and that was for an last minute surprise trip for my daughter to see Fall Out Boy. We didn't do much that trip except wait to get into the courtyard to see the concert. This time we are going for the food and the parade. I've been reading through all the information on here but I have one question. When do the Mardi Gras food tents open? Are they only open in the evening?
 
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