The sounds of New Orleans filled the air as revelers celebrated Mardi Gras on a cold and windy Fat Tuesday in downtown Oakland.
Horns blaring and drums beating, M.J.’s Brass Boppers, led by New Orleans native Michael M.J. Jones, made their way from Snow Park to Bar 355 on 19th Street, where the party continued with several sets by the band. Though a long way from the Crescent City, the spirit was infectious as locals took part in the parade which included the Daring Arts Movement stilt walkers.
Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday,” the culmination of a several-month long festive season in New Orleans which begins on Jan. 6. Also known as Carnival or Carnaval, it’s celebrated in many countries around the world, mainly those with large Roman Catholic populations, on the day before the religious season of Lent begins.
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Michael “M.J.” Jones, center left, and Jost Sirotiak, to the right, and other members of M.J.’s Brass Boppers lead a Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras parade from Snow Park to Bar 355 on 19th Street in downtown, Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Aduri Whitlock dances along as M.J.’s Brass Boppers lead a Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras parade from Snow Park to Bar 355 on 19th Street in downtown, Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Jost Sirotiak, center, and other members of M.J.’s Brass Boppers lead a Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras parade from Snow Park to Bar 355 on 19th Street in downtown, Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Daring Arts Movement stilt walker Polly Bates, center, dances as M.J.’s Brass Boppers lead a Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras parade from Snow Park to Bar 355 on 19th Street in downtown, Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Jose Carrasco takes part as M.J.’s Brass Boppers perform during a Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras parade from Snow Park to Bar 355 on 19th Street in downtown, Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Daring Arts Movement stilt walkers Polly Bates, Stella Adelman and Aimee Rose, from left, dancs as M.J.’s Brass Boppers lead a Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras parade from Snow Park to Bar 355 on 19th Street in downtown, Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Jose Carrasco, center, Fasica Alemayehu, left, and Aduri Whitlock, right, lead the way as M.J.’s Brass Boppers take part in a Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras parade from Snow Park to Bar 355 on 19th Street in downtown, Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Fasica Alemayehu, center, and Jose Carrasco, left, dance as M.J.’s Brass Boppers take part in a Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras parade from Snow Park to Bar 355 on 19th Street in downtown, Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
