By Dewayne Bevil
Orlando Sentinel
Jan 17, 2023 at 2:21 pm
Universal's Mardi Gras celebration will run from Feb. 4 through April 16.
Universal Orlando has announced eight concerts in conjunction with its Mardi Gras celebration at Universal Studios theme park, starting with Patti LaBelle on Feb. 4, opening night.
The event, which runs nightly through April 16, features concerts at Music Plaza Stage on select nights, a parade (with the usual bead tossing) and cuisine. The parade’s theme will be “mythical realms of Mardi Gras,” according to a Universal news release. The park’s Tribute Store theme will be tied to scenes from an international jazz celebration in New Orleans-inspired settings.
The park’s concert lineup, subject to change, includes:
Feb. 4: Patti LaBelle
Feb. 10: JVKE
Feb. 11: Goo Goo Dolls
Feb. 18: Maren Morris
Feb. 19: Willow
Feb. 25: 3 Doors Down
March 4: Sean Paul
March 5: Lauren Daigle
Last year, Universal’s Mardi Gras event had 15 concerts. There are no repeat acts from 2022 in the ‘23 lineup.
Universal also announced that Universal CityWalk’s Red Coconut Club will again be adjusted for seasonal purposes, this time morphing into Cursed Coconut Club. The company did not share dates and details for that. The space, which closed down in 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic, recently has been used as a Halloween and Christmas-themed establishment.
Elsewhere at CityWalk, Pat O’Brien’s will throw a Mardi Gras After Party on select nights from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. that includes live entertainment and food and drink options, as well as a Fat Tuesday celebration from 4 p.m.-12 a.m. on Feb. 21 featuring dueling pianos and more.
Universal Studios’ food menu for the event will center on global Carnaval celebrations, featuring beignets, a mofongo flight, crawfish boil, shrimp ceviche tostada and Indonesian black coconut rice pudding. There also will be limited Mardi Gras dishes available at Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay water park.
The resort also announced a Florida-resident ticket deal that adds two days onto the usual two-park, two-day ticket. They are valid for use through June 29, and there are a few block-out dates. For prices, which vary with dates, and information, go to universalorlando.com. The offer is available online and not at the front gate of the attractions.