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Mardi Gras is a last celebration before Lent, and most Americans picture New Orleans when they hear the word — floats, beads, Bourbon Street. But that is not the version Bandera's is built on.
Cowboy Mardi Gras was started in 2003 by Eldon and Susanne Reed, who had just bought the 11th Street Cowboy Bar and were looking for something to bring people to town in a dead February. Eldon is Cajun, born in Lake Charles, and did not speak English until he started school. What he grew up with was the country version of Mardi Gras — the Courir de Mardi Gras, where riders on horseback go house to house in homemade costumes collecting ingredients for a communal gumbo.
Neither of them had been to Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
Which is why there are horses in the Bandera parade. They are not a Texas addition to a Louisiana party. They are the oldest part of the tradition, in a town that already had them.
No need to drive to Louisiana in February. Bandera is the Cowboy Capital of the World, and what started with three parade entries in 2003 now draws over 15,000 people to a town of 839.
The 11th Street Cowboy Bar is the heart of it, but the whole town takes part — shops, restaurants, and bars up and down Main Street. Expect green, purple, and gold, zydeco and Cajun food, a Main Street parade, and beads.
In addition to all that spectacle, you'll see as many cowboy hats as jester hats, and hear Country and Western right alongside Zydeco. There's a touch of Texas spice in the gumbo, too. And the horses, which are the part that came straight from Louisiana.
One thing you will not find here is the Bourbon Street side of it. For parents worried about the more adult goings-on you might run into in the Crescent City, Bandera's version is built to be family-friendly, with games and attractions for kids. It is a comfortable and welcoming gathering for everyone.
Highlights of the Cowboy Mardi Gras include the parade on Bandera’s Main Street on Saturday, and live entertainment at the 11th Street Cowboy Bar each night of the festival. Food fans will love the World Championship Gumbo Cook Off, and all are invited to take part in the Cowboy Mardi Gras Costume Contest!
Cowboy Mardi Gras runs about a week and a half before Fat Tuesday, which means the date moves every year — it follows Easter. Check the current dates before you plan around it.
The 11th Street Cowboy Bar is proud to support the most talented musicians, and to attract the most exciting events to the Cowboy Capital of the World!
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