Brian Lin
Get ready for a bead bonanza!
Mardi Gras. Fat Tuesday. Carnival Season. Call it what you want; the year's biggest celebration of food, drink and depravity is a fantastic excuse to go nuts, drink some fineass drinks and hand out beads in exchange for…well, you know. The boring truth behind the celebration is that it's a last chance to eat and drink like it's the end of the world before any self-imposed restrictions brought on by Ash Wednesday and those 40 miserable days of Lent.
But for those wonderful Santa Feans who aren't exactly religious or might just be looking at the calendar praying for even the flimsiest reason to shed inhibitions and take to the streets, it's good to know they can just take all the good parts out and exploit them to the max.
Yes, Santa Fe is about a bazillion miles away from the Big Easy and all the insane party action New Orleans brings to the table annually, but we're gonna get in on the fun all the same with various Mardi Gras offerings recalibrated to fit in with that particular brand of local awesome.
For example, the Hillstompers Marching Band makes a glorious return to downtown Santa Fe to provide the soundtrack to the annual Mardi Gras pub crawl. The roaming brass band kicks things off at the Cowgirl (319 S Guadalupe St., 982-2565) at 5:30 pm and proceeds to travel and pop up at various hotspots in the Guadalupe District and beyond.
If the past few years can serve as a party roadmap of sorts, revelers would be wise to check out the offerings at ever popular watering holes like The Underground and The Matador, though other bars such as The Palace, El Paseo, the St. Francis' Secreto and more will surely be in the Mardi Gras spirit and slingin' appropriate drinks for the night.
Those itching to get outta town even for just one night can check out Felix y los Gatos representing the best in zydeco at Madrid's Mineshaft Tavern (2846 New Mexico 14, 473- 0743). Whatever your plans may be, just remember to be safe and careful and to choose something to lose for Lent that's easy, like sobriety.
Fat Tuesday Pub Crawl
6:30 pm Tuesday, March 4. Free
Several downtown locations
3-7 pm Tuesday, March 4. Free
Mine Shaft Tavern, 2846 New Mexico 14,
473-0743
