Alabama Events - National Shrimp Festival, Mardi Gras

The endless list of festivals & events in Alabama attracts thousands of visitors all year round. One such major & one of the most popular events of the state is Mardi Gras celebration that includes over twenty carnival balls & festive parades, receptions & a host of booths offering regional foods. Celebrated for the first time in 1703 in Mobile, this is one of the oldest festivals of the country. Gardens & horticulture being strongly associated with the state of Alabama, several festivals are celebrated around different blossom seasons. Alabama also hosts an array of exciting events like the Honda AMA Superbike Championship in Birmingham or the Nationwide Tour Golf Championship on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail that attract thousands of sports enthusiasts from across the globe.

National Shrimp Festival Gulf Shores

One of the most popular festivals of the state of Alabama, second only to Mardi Gras is the National Shrimp Festival. This spectacular & interesting event is held each year in the month of October on the beautiful beaches of Gulf Shores. One of the premier outdoor festivals of the country, the event features over 300 vendors & attracts more than 300,000 food lovers who fly down to attend this extravaganza of regional cuisine featuring shrimps along with fine arts, crafts & entertainment. While two stages offering continuous musical entertainment keep the adults busy, for children there is the Children’s Activity Village where they can create their own art works. This year the event will be held from the 13th – 16th of October ’11.

Mardi Gras Mobile

One of the most talked-about & the oldest continual annual events of Alabama, Mardi Gras celebration first started in Mobile city way back in 1703. Initially the event was celebrated with men painting their face red & acting crazy to have few hours of fun. However, in 1840, a civic group named Cowbellion de Rakin Society transformed it into a parade event. The same group whose motto is to “Let good times roll” also helped set up the event in New Orleans in 1857. Throughout the 13 days of this late winter event, the city is a bacchanalia-on-the-bayou with over 20 carnival balls, festive parades, parties, coronations of kings & queens, booths of regional food & pure fun.