Missed last night’s festivities in Clarendon? After the jump are our photos from the 2011 Clarendon Mardi Gras/St. Patrick’s Day parade on Wilson Boulevard.
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Ragtime (1345 North Courthouse Road) — Ragtime is holding its 10th annual Mardi Gras party tonight. The restaurant is serving a special Cajun menu all day, Hurricanes and Cyclones are on special, and the Le Bon Temps Krew will be playing New Orleans jazz music from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. And yes, there will be beads.
Iota Club & Cafe (2832 Wilson Blvd) — Iota is hosting a parade viewing party on its front porch. After the parade, local southern acoustic rock outfit Brother Shamus will take the stage. Admission is $5 after the parade, free before.
The parade is scheduled to kick off at 8:00 p.m., but motorists may want to make note of some road closures that will take effect before the parade.
Wilson Boulevard will be closed from Veitch Street to Barton Street starting at 6:45 p.m. to allow parade floats to line up. Adams Street and Wayne Street will both be closed between Clarendon Boulevard and Wilson Boulevard at 6:45 p.m., for the same reason.
This year, the two holidays are close enough together that organizers are planning to make the parade a joint Mardi Gras/St. Patrick’s Day affair.
The Clarendon Mardi Gras/St. Pat’s parade will place take this year on Fat Tuesday, March 8. Further details are still in the works.
Last night’s Clarendon St. Patrick’s Day (eve) parade had it all: bagpipers, kids dancing, Mardi Gras beads, roller derby girls, a leprechaun on a unicorn, a Republican congressional candidate, white guys in sombreros, and — of course — drag queens. If you missed it, don’t worry… we took plenty of photos.
Check out the photos after the jump.
Homegrown floats will roll down the parade route towards the Clarendon Metro station, accompanied by people in costume. Expect plenty of green beads to be thrown to the crowd lining Wilson Blvd.
No word yet on whether organizers will also be distributing purple and yellow beads. The St. Patrick’s Day parade was created as a substitute for the annual Mardi Gras parade, which was canceled this year due to snow.
Today the Clarendon Alliance announced that in lieu of this year’s Mardi Gras parade, which was canceled due to snow, Clarendon will host a St. Patrick’s Day parade.
The parade is being held on Tuesday, March 16, the night before St. Paddy’s Day. It will kick off at 8:00 p.m. on Wilson Blvd at N. Barton St. The parade will then head up Wilson Blvd to the Clarendon Metro.
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Ragtime Restaurant in Courthouse is the place to be tonight for the food, drinks and music of New Orleans. Ragtime is offering an expanded Cajun menu, including fried oysters, shrimp and crawfish. That’s in addition to the usual Tuesday raw bar special.
The food may be tempting, but it’s not Fat Tuesday without some festive drink specials. Two beers from Louisiana brewery Abita are on special tonight: Abita Turbo Dog is on tap for $3, and Abita Purple Haze bottles are $3.50. Ragtime is also offering $6.50 Hurricanes and Cyclones.