Fat Tuesday will mark the 17th annual Mardi Gras event in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, and this year, the popular party will be given a new twist. The March 8 event will be the same night of revelry that attracts 30,000 brightly costumed people to flood the Gaslamp’s streets, but with a unique San Diego flair. “This is a signature San Diego event and we’re proud of the legacy,” said Brandy Shimabukuro of the Gaslamp Quarter Association. “But with something like this, it’s always a struggle to stay relevant. We want people to come and fall in love with it all over again.” To keep with the change of generation, event planners are straying from the more traditional New Orleans-style Mardi Gras and striving for a more hip, urban vibe. Fat Tuesday signifies the last day of indulgence before Lent begins, and Shimabukuro said the goal is to embrace both that theme and a Southern Californian feel. Music will have a key part in accomplishing this goal. “There aren’t many street music festivals in the center of an urban core like this,” Shimabukuro said. “We feel there’s a void there, so music will be a key focus of the night.” Whereas in previous years the event has been spread throughout several streets in the Gaslamp Quarter, this year’s Mardi Gras will be laid out right down 5th Avenue and feature three themed zones. Each zone will host huge stages with well-known DJs including DJ Rap, DJ Scotty Boy, G-Roy and DJ Colleen Shannon. The north end will be transformed into a fairyland, with go-go fairy dancers, fairy wings and plenty of pixie dust. Leaving Fairy Land, partiers will move on to the Urban House zone, which will feature the San Diego dance crew Kruccial Element. The third zone, Technovale, will keep revelers dancing all night with entertainment by The Crystal Method, Sharam and DJ Lee Burridge. The headlining point of the night will be at 9:30 p.m., when a massive parade makes its way down the street. Other entertainment will include two roving bands, puppets, stilt-walkers and food trucks for partiers who are having too much fun to sit down, as well as vendors selling the essential Mardi Gras accessories such as masks and beads. The event will run from 6 p.m. to midnight and is only open to those 21 and older. Advance tickets are $20, while tickets at the door are $25. VIP tickets are also available and will get ticketholders free cover to numerous bars and clubs, as well as food and drink specials throughout the Gaslamp Quarter. For tickets and more information, visit www.gaslamp.-org
