Long before New Orleans claimed Mardi Gras as its own, Mobile was already doing it with flair. In 1703, when the Alabama port city was still the capital of French Louisiana (and pronounced ‘moe-beel’), French settler Nicholas Langlois launched a tradition of ‘Fat Tuesday’ festivities marked by purple and gold costumes, masquerade balls, and street revellers tossing MoonPies and gold beads to the crowd.
More than three centuries later, Mobile’s Mardi Gras remains a defining feature of the city. Even outside carnival season, its legacy lives on at the Mobile Carnival Museum, where visitors can take in the elaborate gowns, crowns, masks, and float designs that tell the story of the celebration’s evolution. MoonPies are still very much in the mix.
The festive spirit runs deep here. Mobile is a city with a love for food, fun and tradition. In the Lower Dauphin Street District – known locally as LoDa – bars and restaurants serve up Gulf seafood, Murder Point oysters, local pecans, peanuts, and Southern-made chocolate. Independent shops, galleries, and boutiques line the sidewalks, offering a lively mix of old and new. Meanwhile, Box Owt and Parc Le Tralour are hubs for street food and informal eats, while Braided River Brewing Company pours small-batch ales inspired by the rivers and marshes that surround the city.
Here’s what to buy locally to remember a spirited Mobile holiday.
