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, .................