Fat Tuesday draws an amazing 202k people to downtown Mobile

Think about how many people are packed in to Bryant-Denny Stadium during a sold-out Alabama football game. Double that amount of people and you have the crowd size for Fat Tuesday in downtown Mobile this year.

Mardi Gras celebrations in Mobile — where Mardi Gras originated — actually attracted more than 1 million people this year according to city sources.

Fat Tuesday caps off a record-setting week in Mobile

Mayor Sandy Stimpson said 204,442 people made it downtown in Mobile Tuesday, placing the total attendance throughout the week of celebration at more than 1.1 million.

“As always, I want to thank the hundreds of City of Mobile employees who made all of that possible — from the 160 members of the parade cleanup crew to the dozens of first responders who worked overtime to ensure that our parades, balls and parties were safe, organized and fun.”

Mayor Sandy Stimpson of Mobile

This year, Mardi Gras arrived earlier than usual on February 13 and luckily for the revelers who came out to see the dozens of parades, the weather cooperated and guests were treated to almost spring-like temperatures and a plethora of fun.

Next year’s Mardi Gras celebration

Not to jump the gun here, but in case you were wondering, Mardi Gras next year will be in March, with Fat Tuesday landing on MArch 4. This might guarantee a better chance of warmer weather, but as this year showed, February is not necessarily a bad time to celebrate in Mobile.

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