Mardi Gras Park in Mobile, Alabama, commemorates the city’s history as the host of the first Mardi Gras celebration in the United States. Featuring a wide-open green space for gatherings of all types along with colorful Mardi Gras-related statues, the park is an incredible example of how a vision to celebrate the history of an area can transform a space.
Mobile’s First Mardi Gras Parade
Joe Cain is recognized as the person who revived Mobile’s Mardi Gras celebration in 1866 by parading through the streets on Fat Tuesday that year. Dressed as a fictional chief named “Chief Slacabormorinico”, Cain led a one-float parade through the streets of Mobile. In 1867, he made another appearance in this costume but was joined by others to create the origin of The Order of the Myths. Some of this history is reflected in the Mardi Gras-related statues, one of which depicts Joe Cain in his “Chief Slacabormorinico” costume.
A marker near the site commemorates Mobile’s first official Mardi Gras parade in 1868. Taking place on a nearby corner, the marker explains how the Order of the Myths began their first parade. This history would eventually spur the creation of Mardi Gras Park, but also tie into the history of the site itself.
Located at the site of the old Mobile County Courthouse, Mardi Gras Park was opened in 2016 in the first phase of a larger initiative. This first phase has been privately financed to establish the retaining walls, extra parking, sidewalks, lighting and special features of Mardi Gras Park. The second phase of the project is set to include a pavilion featuring an open-air market that will be similar to other urban markets. However, there is plenty for residents and visitors to experience across all phases of the project and in every corner of the park.
For Every Citizen of and Visitor to Mobile
Positioned as a place for every citizen of and every visitor to Mobile, Mardi Gras Park contains numerous ways for visitors to experience the past and present of Mobile. The land itself houses the last vestige of the second Fort Conde built by the French in1723 and later occupied by the British, Spain and the Americans. The foundations that are protected on the site are the only remains of colonial Mobile.
The Mardi Gras-related statues are the most notable feature of the park, with each depicting a different figure that is related to the Mobile Mardi Gras celebration in a different way. Some are representative of the types of people that make up Mardi Gras, such as the Jester statues that call out how they create merry misrule with mirth and magic during America’s oldest Mardi Gras. The Trumpeter statue represents the musicians and bands that create the sounds of the festival. However, others depict real people and are tied to specific events that took place at previous Mobile Mardi Gras festivals.
The “Chief Slacabormorinico” statue depicts Joe Cain in his costume, while the King Elexis I statue is representative of the person that was first crowned in 1940 by the Mobile Area Mari Gras Association, which is an organization that is committed to showcasing the best in the Mobile community. The Queen of MAGMA similarly depicts the person who was crowned in 1940 by the association, highlighting how local organizations can serve essential roles in projects that positively impact an entire community.
The open green space in Mardi Gras Park provides a popular gathering place during the festival, as the corner of the park is part of the main parade route. This space can be utilized for countless other events and activities throughout the year though, providing residents and visitors with a unique urban park.
The Mardi Gras festival draws hundreds of thousands of revelers to downtown Mobile each year for parades and masquerade balls. By creating a space where they can congregate during the festival but also a place where people can gather throughout the year, Mardi Gras Park highlights how a vision that connects the past and present of a city can impact audiences of all eras.
From Empty Space into an Urban Park and Market
With the demolition of the old Courthouse in the early 2000s, what had been a vacant green space in downtown Mobile has been transformed with statues and a landscape that celebrate the vibrant history of the area. The private financing of the first phase of the project has allowed this vision to become a reality that will be expanded in a major way in the second phase. These developments highlight how such visions can take shape in multiple ways to enable incredible benefits for entire communities.
