TEXARKANA, Ark. - Those who want to enjoy Mardi Gras with a drink will have plenty of alcohol options Saturday downtown.
The local celebration of the traditionally boozy holiday will take place in the city's recently established entertainment district, where outdoor drinking is allowed. Saturday's event is likely to be the first to draw a crowd that wants to make use of the new rules, and downtown bars and restaurants are ready.
Paragon Lounge is advertising a to-go window from which it will sell Jello shots, hurricanes and hand grenade cocktails until 2 a.m. Hopkins Icehouse will offer Abita Purple Haze beer and Boulevard Jam Band berry ale for $3, as well as a $5 cocktail special. Broadway Sports Bar and Billiards has $5 shot specials and $2.50 and $2.75 beer specials on the menu.
Restaurants in the district not offering drink specials, such as Verona and Zapata's, are still preparing for extra business Saturday.
"Every time it's Mardi Gras, it gets busy," a Zapata's manager said.
Organizers of the parades and other activities in Front Street Festival Plaza will not allow alcohol vendors there, and parade participants are prohibited from drinking before or while they are on their floats, said Brooke Stone with HealthCARE Express, one of the event's main sponsors.
Activities for children such as an educational carnival are planned, and the event is billed as family-friendly. But organizers understand that drinking alcohol will be part of the festivities.
"We do want to deter people from doing that as much as possible, but we can't stop them," Stone said.
The city established the entertainment district last fall after the General Assembly passed a new state law allowing it. Bentonville, El Dorado, Fayetteville, Little Rock, Mountain Home and Pine Bluff are among other Arkansas cities that have established or are considering similar districts.
Open consumption of alcohol is allowed in roughly 14 blocks of downtown Sundays from 11 a.m. to midnight and Mondays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Prominent signs and green stripes on the pavement clearly mark the district's boundaries.
Establishments in the district licensed to sell alcohol may allow customers age 21 and over to leave with an open container. No one may enter any business with an open container.
All state alcohol regulations remain in effect, including that no open containers may be carried out from liquor stores, no open containers are allowed in any motorized vehicles and underage drinking is illegal.
The Texarkana, Arkansas, Police Department is not concerned that the new rules will cause any unusual problems.
"I do not anticipate any issues with drinking at Mardi Gras. We will have officers working the event to address any issues if they arise," TAPD spokesman Lt. Scott Megason said.
French for "fat Tuesday," Mardi Gras began as a celebration among Christians who indulged in feasting and excessive alcohol consumption on the Tuesday preceding Lent, a season of fasting and other austerites in the weeks before Easter.