New Orleans Comes to Hollywood Beach on Fat Tuesday

South Florida’s Mardi Gras season will end on a high note February 20 at Fat Tuesday on Hollywood Beach, where a sumptuous feast of authentic Louisiana music, culture and cuisine will be served up in true New Orleans style from noon to midnight.

The 6th annual festival, which follows the three-day Mardi Gras Fiesta Tropicale festivities in Downtown Hollywood, will feature Creole and Cajun specialties at numerous beach-area restaurants, and nonstop free concerts on the Main Stage just north of Hollywood Boulevard and in the outdoor Hollywood Beach Theater at Johnson Street.

The Fat Tuesday entertainment lineup offers South Floridians a rare opportunity to experience the musical and cultural gumbo that characterizes the inimitable spirit and soul of the Crescent City. Headlining the stage schedule will be New Orleans’ own Grammy-nominated Allen Toussaint & The Toussaint Band at 9 p.m. and The Dirty Dozen Brass Band at 7 p.m.

R&B icon Allen Toussaint is the embodiment of New Orleans music and has been a key shaper of its distinctive contribution to American popular music. The legendary producer, pianist, writer, arranger and singer boasts an impressive 50-year résumé that includes his recent Grammy nomination in the Best Pop Vocal Album category for his post-Hurricane Katrina collaboration with Elvis Costello on The River in Reverse. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer has worked with artists as diverse as The Rolling Stones, Dr. John, Lenny Kravitz, Jimmy Buffett, Aaron Neville, Clarence “Frogman” Henry, Paul Simon, Joe Cocker and Bonnie Raitt.

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band’s successful union has spanned 28 years and produced 10 albums. Their music bursts with the quintessential sound of the Crescent City, a dynamic blend of traditional N’awlins brass, bebop, jazz, R&B and funk.

Other scheduled performers include the Brian Stoltz Band, J.J. Caillier and the Zydeco Knockouts, Marcel Anton’s Tantra Carnivale, Sally Townes Band, Dave Camp Band, Oriente, Louisiana musician and storyteller Papillion, Rick Hubbard’s Kazoobie Kazoo Show, and more. Other festival highlights will include a “Best Gumbo” contest among beach restaurants and the annual “Miss Fat Tuesday” contest.

Mardi Gras revelers can gear up for Fat Tuesday on Hollywood Beach at Lundi Gras (“Fat Monday”), featuring performances by the Brian Stoltz Band, Hot Java, Papillion and more from noon to 9 p.m. Feb. 19 at the Hollywood Beach Theater.

Fat Tuesday on Hollywood Beach is presented by the Beach District of the Hollywood Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and produced by Fiesta Tropicale of Hollywood, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit organization run by a board of directors.

Experience this cultural feast from noon to midnight along the picturesque pedestrian Broadwalk. There is no charge for festival admission. Paid parking is available at the Johnson Street municipal garage and surface lots, the Hollywood Beach Marriott parking garage between Carolina and Taft streets, and the Oceanwalk Mall next to the Ramada Hollywood Beach Resort at Hollywood Boulevard.