BEAUMONT, Texas — On Saturday, Southeast Texans gathered in downtown Beaumont to celebrate the third day of Mardi Gras Southeast Texas.
Despite the cold weather, those who attended Saturday night’s festivities said they enjoyed the Total Krewe of Aurora Grande Parade, live music and more.
“Oh it’s awesome, really awesome,” De Poole, Beaumont resident, said. “I just love the beads. I was trying to collect them and collecting toys for my 14 grandchildren, so I could give them each a little something and a little video that I've taken. It's been awesome.”
Before Saturday, De and Stephen Poole had never attended Mardi Gras Southeast Texas. They said they were happy to support area vendors and artists while also enjoying the food and festivities.
“They've been struggling for a long time," De Poole said. "And yeah, to get their feet back on the ground, like a lot of other people, it's good for them, good for us."
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For some it was a first, and for others, attending was an ongoing tradition. Lumberton resident David Desormeaux has attended the celebration every year since it started in Port Arthur 28 years ago.
Desormeaux said he is happy to see the event be held in Beaumont.
"This is the place this Mardi Gras needs to be," Desormeaux said. "They've got the Event Centre. They've got a good crowd. They've really done a hard job. The weather hurt them a little bit tonight, but here we are."
Desormeaux feels that the fun of the Beaumont celebration matches that of Mardi Gras he's attended in New Orleans and other places.
"I've been to New Orleans,” Desormeaux, said. “We've been to Fat Tuesdays, and we've been to a lot of places. There won't be a better parade than the parades we have out here.”
After its 2021 cancellation due to COVID-19, event organizers expected a large turnout. Despite the feeling that the cold weather may have kept some people from coming out, organizers said the turnout was great.
“The great thing is people are coming in dressed for color for Mardi Gras,” Tim Romero, event organizer, said. “They're excited. They want to be out. They're willing to weather the cold, and if you bundle up and layer, it's not that bad.”
Organizers are already looking forward to next year's festivities.
“Next year, I mean we're hoping we get great weather and we're just, you know, going to have a great time too,” Romero said. “We're here for a while."
Saturday's festivities will end at midnight when the gates close. They will reopen on Sunday at noon.