Mardi Gras Extravaganza

Mardi Gras Extravaganza [MGE] is the LARGEST indoor Mardi Gras Block Party to ever hit Washington, DC! Coming Tuesday, February 28, 2017 from 5PM-10PM at Union Market's Dock 5, partygoers can indulge in an evening of continuous revelry and participate in the world-renowned tradition of celebrating Fat Tuesday. MGE will feature Southern-influenced street fare and cocktails from the area's top chefs and mixologists. DC Brau and Abita beer will be pouring all night to the tunes of live music while Costume Contests and a Hurricane Cocktail Competition unfolds. King cakes, beads and more surprises will up the revelry factor.

All this indulgence comes with a mission. MGE is more than an opportunity to celebrate Mardi Gras. The blowout event promotes the culture and traditions of New Orleans while raising funds for two nonprofits: Louisiana based St. Bernard Project and local DC Central Kitchen. [See more below.]

Surge into evening as the celebration picks up with a Hurricane Cocktail Contest and a Mardi Gras Costume Contest. Participating mixologists will shake up six different twists on this quintessential, tropical punch. Vote for your favorite and see who wins both the People's Choice and Guest Judge Panel categories. Go all out with costumes this year for a chance to take first, second or third place in the MGE Costume Contest. Winners get major bragging rights and a bejeweled trophy that rivals the coveted coconuts thrown from the famed NOLA Zulu Parade. Each handmade, one-of-a-kind beaded bottle trophy will be designed by one of the following co-founders and chairs of MGE:

• David Guas: New Orleans native, former host of Travel Channel's "American Grilled," celebrity chef and owner of Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery
• Spike Mendelsohn: celebrity chef, Bravo's "Top Chef" Season 4 contestant, chef / restaurateur of Béarnaise and Sunnyside Restaurant Group
• Micheline Mendelsohn Luhn: Deputy CEO of Sunnyside Restaurant Group
• Gina Chersevani: Mixtress / owner Buffalo & Bergen and Suburbia; annual participant in Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans

PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS AND BARS
Acadiana; Bar PX; Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery; Béarnaise; Buffalo & Bergen; Evening Star; Mason Dixie Biscuit Co.; Oohh's & Aahh's; Puddin' DC; Rappahannock Oyster Bar; Republic Kolache; Rocklands Barbeque and Grilling Company; Southern Efficiency, Tchoup's Market; The BBQ Joint; The Source.

PAY ONE PRICE and receive whatever you like to drink and eat all night while listening to LIVE BANDS performing throughout the entire five-hour event. The first 100 pre-sale tickets will be $65. Regular ticket prices will be $75 per person. Visit the official Mardi Gras Extravaganza website for tickets and additional information: www.mardigrasextravaganza.com. A limited number of tickets will also be available at the door. Attendees must be 21 years or older.

Follow Mardi Gras Extravaganza on Facebook and Instagram [@MardiGrasExtravaganza] or on Twitter [@MGE_DC]. Join the conversation using #MGEDC2017!

SPONSORS
Abita Brewing Company
A Louisiana-based state-of-the-art brewery with over 151,000 barrels of beer with 22 offerings from ales to stouts, nearly 10,000 barrels of rootbeer, and 5 sodas.

DC Brau Brewing Company
A DC-based brewing company offering a selection of 16 beers brewed within the city limits and available throughout the region. The beers represent a delicious and uniquely American blend of North American and European techniques and ingredients.

DC Central Kitchen - [see below]

Effin Vodka
A premium vodka known for its smooth, clean crisp flavor. Effin offers six exceptional vodkas that are continuously distilled and made with all-natural ingredients - the perfect base for mixing cocktails or drinking straight.

Jim Beam
The number one selling Kentucky Bourbon, has been a celebrated spirit and American class for over 200 years. All Jim Beam Whiskeys are held to the highest standard - distilled twice and aged for at least four years.

CHARITIES
DC Central Kitchen, Washington, DC: An organization that fights hunger differently. It is a nonprofit developer of innovative social ventures that break the cycle of hunger and poverty. Michael Curtin, Jr, Chief Executive Officer, is a recipient of the 2010 Gelman, Rosenberg + Freedman EXCEL Award for excellence in chief executive leadership and the Bicentennial Medal from his alma mater, Williams College, the highest honor the college bestows on its alumni. Under Curtin's guidance, he established DC Central Kitchen's Nutrition Lab that employs over 130 people in the expanded social service program. DC Central Kitchen's Fresh Start Catering has expanded to allow catering contracts that provide locally sourced, scratched-cooked meals to schools across Washington, DC.

St. Bernard Project, New Orleans: Founders / husband and wife Zack Rosenberg, former fellow at the Georgetown University Law Center and Liz McCartney, a 2008 CNN Hero of the Year, joined forces to create a nonprofit after the devastation of hurricane Katrina. SBP's mission is to shrink the time between disaster and full recovery by ensuring that impacted citizens and communities recover in a prompt, efficient and predictable manner. Since its founding in 2006 - in St. Bernard Parish, LA - following Hurricane Katrina, SBP has directly rebuilt homes for more than 1,170 families with the help of 150,000 volunteers across seven states.