MystiQal Mardi Gras Nighttime Parade

scrippe1, says:

Some terrific restaurants in walking distance of Victory Park - a cool, but hidden place, Cafe Rembrandt, will be having $3.00 hurricanes tonight. The food is spectacular and the atmosphere is very warm and cozy. You can find them in the Brewery Building.

RaymondCarter, says:

I've got to be honest...if this is Dallas' first attempt at a night parade in a decade, it may very well be the last.

First, before another parade is even planned in this city, our leaders need to take a trip to another city with some culture (San Antonio is a mere 5 hours to the South) and observe how a real parade is executed.

Vendors were sparse and few, and crammed into a small fenced off area. There was one band (that we found). When we asked if there were any more vendors or bands we'd get a different answer depending on who we asked (and that's not a good thing).

The parade was cramped together along a small, very winding road, making it slow and hard to navigate. The length also forced the crowd into a smaller space rather than allowing it to spread over over a larger area. Maybe that's why there was constant police presence (intimidation?) including a helicopter that never stopped hovering directly over the route.

That's not saying there was even that much to watch in the first place. There were no celebrities, no local notables, no political leaders, no floats, no civic organizations, nothing. Who were we there to see? The Dallas Cowboys 18 wheeler that got stuck trying to take the corner over by Hooters?

Granted, this is the first year in a while an event like this has been done, but that's all the more pressure to do it well and get people back for next time. Dallas definitely let us down with yet another event poorly planned and executed, where nobody knew what was happening and everyone just seemed to be wandering around the most expensive (and therefore best) part of Dallas. This should reinforce the old lesson that pouring money into a something will not create culture, entertainment, or anything of lasting substance to help put this city on the map.

dsummerstx, says:

I have to agree with poster Raymond Carter. The City officials are in AZ trying to learn how to host a Super Bowl, they should try to figure out Mardi Gras. But they won't need to since there probably won't be another one. I 'll be going back to Galveston next year.