Celebrations of Mardi Gras, French for “Fat Tuesday,” continue the traditional practice of partying, dancing, and eating on the last night before Ash Wednesday. Also known as Carnival, Mardi Gras is celebrated around the world. Brazil, Venice, and New Orleans play host to some of the most famous public festivities, attracting tens of thousands of revelers every year.
This year we’re supporting a Mardi Gras party in Burlington on February 13, 7pm–10pm
The party will feature live Cajun and Zydeco music and dancing. Enjoy snacks (Cajun gumbo and King cake) and a cash bar. The organizers encourage (but do not require) Mardi Gras costumes. Masking for COVID is optional.
Danceable sets throughout the evening will offer waltzes, 2-steps, and other styles associated with Louisiana. The bands:
- Yankee Chank, four musicians from New England performing traditional dance music from southwestern Louisiana
- Mango Jam, a six-piece dance band playing Zydeco and Cajun sounds
Admission is $15. Tickets are available at Seven Days Tickets. If you wish to dine at Juniper Bar and Restaurant that evening, please reserve separately and early at (802) 651-5027 or online.
Proceeds from this event will benefit the Tom Sustic Fund, which was established to support a bone marrow transplant for Tom Sustic. Despite an extensive search of registries in North America and Europe, no ideal donor was located for the boy. After Tom’s death, the funds that had been raised were repurposed to support families of other children with life-altering conditions at the Vermont Children’s Hospital and Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. Today the fund is managed and distributed by the Vermont Family Network. Guests will be invited to speak at the event about the fund’s importance. You can donate directly to the fund by writing a check to Vermont Family Network with “Tom Sustic Fund” in the memo. Mail it to the VFN at 600 Blair Park Rd, Ste 240, Williston, VT 05495.
All ticket purchases and donations will be entered in a raffle. The prize is two $75 tickets to the 2024 Ice Bar at Hotel Vermont on March 1 or 2 . The winning ticket will be drawn at the end of the evening on February 13.
The Mardi Gras party is presented with support from the Alliance Française of the Lake Champlain Region, the Hotel Vermont, the Vermont Family Network, the UVM Health Network, National Life, Tom Sustic Fund Advisors, and others.
For more info, write to mark.sustic@gmail.com.
