The next two weekends of parades in Galveston will be a charming mix of the old and new: the great old traditions of Mardi Gras and some new rules that may take you by surprise, so get wise, Bon Ami!
The celebration continues from this Friday, February 21st through March 4th, and this Saturday brings the usual two parades to start things off, but on both Saturdays, which are parade days, glass containers of any kind are prohibited along the Seawall (which is a parade route) and downtown (where parades and partygoers may end up).
For safety, cars parked along the seawall this Saturday will have to stay parked all day through both parades and are allowed to drive off only after the nighttime parade is finished.
And there have been cases where people park their cars along the Seawall as early as the Tuesday before parades so they can have a great parade view, but that's prohibited this year and the fine will not be the usual $50 a day for overnight parking violations, this year it's $250 a day! So park your car on the Seawall today and by Saturday night you'll owe about a thousand in fines...!
The area between Harborside Drive and Mechanic Street, 20th to 25th streets are pedestrian-only on Saturday, and there are some restrictions Saturday March 1st too.
And City of Galveston Executive Director David Smith says there will be beefed-up security and he asks everyone who visits the Island over the next couple of weeks: If you see something, say something.
"If you see something odd, that doesn't look correct please reach out to our 9-1-1, so we can check it out, we'd appreciate that -- if you see something, report it."
Otherwise, he says, if you come down to have fun, enjoy, Le Bon Ton Roulet. But keep your wits about you, Cher!