Masquerading for Mardi Gras

For as long as we can remember, it's been a long standing tradition to wear masks on Mardi Gras. But what's the reason behind this tradition? Mardi Gras masks add an element of mystery and intrigue to the celebration. Originally, wearing a mask during this holiday allowed a person to let their guard down and feel free to have a good time. This allowed different classes of society to mingle with each other. Check out the history behind masquerading for Mardi Gras and find out how you can stay up-to-date on our upcoming Lake of the Ozarks Mardi Gras Pub Crawl!

History of Mardi Gras Masks
Mardi Gras made landfall in the United States back in the 17th century when the French explorer Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville set up camp 60 miles from New Orleans on the day that the holiday was being celebrated in France. He called the location Point du Mardi Gras. But, Mardi Gras and the accompanying masked balls associated with the holiday were outlawed when the Spanish governor took control of the area in 1766 as well as when it came under U.S. rule in 1803.

But by 1823, the Creole population convinced the governor to permit masked balls. By 1827, wearing a mask in the street was legalized in New Orleans. (They’re now only legal to wear on Mardi Gras Day.) When the first official “krewe,” or elite social club, was established in 1857, the Mardi Gras parades that they organized became formalized annual occasions, which meant that parade participants donned masks and colorful regalia with greater frequency.

Masks are Required by Law
Float riders in New Orleans are actually required to wear masks, not because of tradition, but because it's a law! It is illegal to be on a Mardi Gras float unless you are wearing a mask. If you are simply watching the parade, you aren't required to put one on, but it can make things a lot more fun! Now, most people opt to wear the masks as part of the festivities, which is 100% acceptable and encouraged! But, in New Orleans many of the local shop owners will post notes on their doors prohibiting patrons from wearing them in their stores... You know, for safety reasons and all that.

Got Your Mask Ready?
Today it is a fun and beautiful tradition that still allows a person to feel like they can be a bit more free to act out more than usual, providing a sense of anonymity. So, if you're into keeping tradition and having a blast while celebrating, you better show up to the Mardi Gras Pub Crawl donning your best mask!

Mark Your Calendars!

Save the date of Saturday, February 16, 2019, for this will be the biggest and best year yet! To stay up-to-date on all Pub Crawl happenings, text: "LakePubCrawl" to 71441.

You can also visit www.LakePubCrawl.com to sign up for those text messages and also for email updates if you prefer to be reminded that way. Last, but certainly not least, make sure that you are following us on all of your favorite social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Google+!

 

TEXT "LakePubCrawl" to 71441 for updates about 

the Lake of the Ozarks Pub Crawl

To keep up with the latest news:

Follow us on Twitter

LIKE us on Facebook

Follow us on Instagram

Follow us on Google+

Check out our Website

If you need additional information, contact us at info@lakepubcrawl.com

Brought to you by the

Lake Area Chamber of Commerce

17 Years of the Lake of the Ozarks Mardi Gras Pub Crawl and Still Growing!

The Lake of the Ozarks Mardi Gras Pub Crawl will be 18 years old this year. It started as a small local pub crawl with just a few bars to provide a little winter-time fun for the locals. It proved to be so much fun that an annual event was born that grew to become the biggest annual party at the Lake of the Ozarks for thousands of people from around the country!

The Logos
As the Lake of the Ozarks Mardi Gras Pub Crawl started growing, it started getting a lot of attention from people living outside of the lake area. Visitors wanted to know more details so that they could head back to the lake for this fun weekend. 

Advertising is always a lot more eye-catching with a logo involved, so a creative graphic was created to attach to the Lake Pub Crawl, and each year since a new logo has been unveiled. Here is a look at the past few. The 2019 logo isn't ready to show off just yet, but it's going to be awesome! 

The Costumes & T-Shirts
Mardi Gras and masks go hand-in-hand, so it's no surprise that people show up wearing elaborate masks to party in. Feathers, beads, tutus, big hats, and much more always show up on pub crawlers too, as well as a lot of purple and green. 

Some people aren't excited about getting dressed up in costume for the Mardi Gras Pub Crawl at the Lake of the Ozarks, and that's perfectly okay too. Everyone is welcome, no matter what they're wearing (as long as they ARE wearing something!) Lake Pub Crawl T-shirts are also available each year that allow people to dress in the spirit of the evening without getting too crazy, plus you can check off each stop while you're there. 

The Stops & Live Music
As more and more people started talking about and then started showing up for the Lake of the Ozarks Mardi Gras Pub Crawl, more and more bars and restaurants wanted to get in on the action all across the lake area. Now the route stretches from the historic Bagnell Dam Strip in Lake Ozark all the way across town to the outskirts of Osage Beach. Here's a look at last year's map, and the 2019 Lake Pub Crawl map will be ready closer to the event! 

The Buses
The first year people were on their own to get from stop to stop. Someone came up with the brilliant idea to make the Lake Pub Crawl not only easier to maneuver but also a lot safer by providing sober bus transportation to crawlers. 

At first not many were needed. Now the Lake of the Ozarks annual event has grown to the point that 32 buses were used last year to shuttle pub crawlers around the route from 4:00 pm-2:30 am! The buses even make stops at hotels along the route so participants don't have to drive to the first stop, and the hotels off of the route are great about providing their own shuttles to get pub crawlers here and back safely. 

The 2019 Lake Pub Crawl
The 2019 Lake of the Ozarks Mardi Gras Pub Crawl is set for Saturday, February 16, 2019. Wristbands are only $10 each and grant you access to every participating stop plus a ride on all of the buses. Just like last year, each stop will feature incredible live music and the buses will run from 4:00 pm-2:30 am to make sure you get where you need to be all night long.

You can stay updated on the 18th Annual Lake of the Ozarks Mardi Gras Pub Crawl in a few different ways. Watch us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, sign up for email newsletters and text alerts by visiting www.LakePubCrawl.com, or text "LakePubCrawl" to 71441. Once you're all set to keep up with every bit of the latest information, mark your calendars and start making your plans so you don't miss a minute of the excitement that is #LakePubCrawl 2019!  

TEXT "LakePubCrawl" to 71441 for updates about 

the Lake of the Ozarks Pub Crawl

To keep up with the latest news:

Follow us on Twitter

LIKE us on Facebook

Follow us on Instagram

Check out our Website

If you need additional information, contact us at info@lakepubcrawl.com

Brought to you by the

Lake Area Chamber of Commerce

The Lake Area Chamber of Commerce Joins the Lake Pub Crawl

The 18th Annual Lake of the Ozarks Mardi Gras Pub Crawl has become the largest Pub Crawl in the world! To pull off an event of this magnitude, a team of great organizers, volunteers, and business owners are needed. This year, the Lake Area Chamber of Commerce has agreed to manage the biggest annual party at the Lake of the Ozarks, bringing with them an entire staff of talented people that know how to throw an unforgettable event on a large scale.

New Management, Same Fun!
You can expect all of the same excitement that you've come to expect from the biggest & best pub crawl in the Midwest The event will still have busses, shuttles, t-shirts, live music, awesome bars & restaurants, hotel packages, and more. The "something extra" that the Lake Area Chamber of Commerce (LACC) brings to this event is a staff full of talented people focused on making the lake area a fun place to both live and visit. The LACC has a working task force dedicated and determined to make this event bigger and better year after year. 

The Lake Area Chamber isn't new to putting on great big successful events that draw thousands of people to the Lake of the Ozarks every year. For example, the LACC handles the Magic Dragon Street Meet Nationals that take place on the historic Bagnell Dam Strip. It averages 10,000 spectators over a 4-day period the first weekend in March every year. The LACC also manages the Midwest Wine & Brew Festival each August. Another example of how the LACC knows how to host an amazing party at the Lake of the Ozarks.  
    

The 2019 Mardi Gras Pub Crawl
Keep an eye on our website at www.LakePubCrawl.com over the next couple of months as updates are made. The upcoming 2019 Lake of the Ozarks Mardi Gras Pub Crawl is scheduled for Saturday, February 16. 

You can expect many of the same bars, restaurants, and hotels to participate again from last year, and we are hoping to have a few new ones join us too. You can sign up for email alerts and text alerts to be sure you are always the first to know what's new with the Lake Pub Crawl. 

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay in-the-know as well. Lots of plans are currently underway to bring you the biggest and best Lake of the Ozarks Mardi Gras Pub Crawl yet! Mark your calendars now and call your friends to join you. It's going to be epic!     

TEXT "LakePubCrawl" to 71441 for updates about 

the Lake of the Ozarks Pub Crawl

To keep up with the latest news:

Follow us on Twitter

LIKE us on Facebook

Follow us on Instagram

Check out our Website

If you need additional information, contact us at info@lakepubcrawl.com

Brought to you by the

Lake Area Chamber of Commerce

SAVE THE DATE - The Lake of the Ozarks Mardi Gras Pub Crawl is Coming!!!

It may seem early to some of you, but when you think about all of the arrangements that need to be made to make sure that you don't miss the biggest & best Pub Crawl in mid-Missouri, it's not too early at all! Reserve the entire day of Saturday, February 16, 2019, on your calendar NOW so you don't miss a minute of the Lake of the Ozarks Mardi Gras Pub Crawl. (As a matter of fact, you better go ahead and block off that entire weekend!) 

What Is It?
The Lake of the Ozarks Mardi Gras Pub Crawl is only the world's largest pub crawl! With more than a dozen bars and restaurants on the route, over 30 buses providing transportation, and covering more than 12 miles across the lake area, this pub crawl has definitely earned that title!

A single $10 wristband gives you access to everything that this pub crawl has to offer. You get entry into all of the participating bars and restaurants, amazing entertainment while you're there, access to all of the buses running the pub crawl route, and the chance to brag about being a part of the biggest annual party at the Lake of the Ozarks! 

Amazing Live Music
Each and every stop on the Mardi Gras Pub Crawl route will be featuring some of the best live music at the Lake of the Ozarks. The very best bands and DJs will keep you entertained all night long, so be sure you bring your dancing shoes! 

A Safe Ride All Night
Pub Crawl buses begin running at 4 pm during the event, and they keep running the route until 2:30 am, making sure that you get where you're going safely all day and all night long. Not only do these buses stop at all of the pub crawl venues, but they also stop at many of the hotels positioned along their path. Lots of the lodging facilities around town that are not on the pub crawl route will be offering shuttles of their own to get you from their place to the pub crawl buses. Nobody from your group needs to be the sober chauffeur that night because we're going to do that for you! 

How To Stay Informed
We're giving you plenty of notice so that you can save the date of Saturday, February 16, 2019, on your calendars now and start making plans with all of your friends. The best way for you to stay informed about all of the new things happening from now until the day of the pub crawl is to sign up for updates sent directly to your phone by texting "LakePubCrawl" to 71441. 

You can also visit www.LakePubCrawl.com to sign up for those text messages and also for email updates if you prefer to be reminded that way. Last, but certainly not least, make sure that you are following us on all of your favorite social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Google+. (We've provided links to all of those at the bottom of this page for you.) 

Stop whatever you are doing and get the date for the 2019 Lake of the Ozarks Mardi Gras Pub Crawl on your calendar right now. After that, let all of your friends know to mark it on their calendars too, and you all need to sign up for those text alerts! Once that's done, you'll be well on your way to planning one of the best weekends of your life! Don't miss it!    

TEXT "LakePubCrawl" to 71441 for updates about 

the Lake of the Ozarks Pub Crawl

To keep up with the latest news:

Follow us on Twitter

LIKE us on Facebook

Follow us on Instagram

Follow us on Google+

Check out our Website

If you need additional information, contact us at info@lakepubcrawl.com

Brought to you by the

Lake Area Chamber of Commerce