With special guest appearance from some of this year’s specialty foods from the event!
From February 1st to March 30th, Universal Orlando Resort will be celebrating 30 years of Mardi Gras with Universal Mardi Gras: International Flavors of Carnaval. This highly-anticipated headliner event features fan-favorites like the nightly Mardi Gras parade, live entertainment, and creative dishes and drinks inspired by flavors from around the world.
Among all the exciting offerings of Mardi Gras, one of the most highly-anticipated aspects is the lineup of star-studded concerts that Universal Orlando puts on during the event. These concerts, scheduled to happen every Saturday during the event, showcase some of the biggest names in music, and offer guests an thrilling festival experience right inside Universal Studios Florida. With all of the festivities of Mardi Gras – including the concerts – included with daytime admission, it’s no wonder that guests get excited in the weeks leading up to the Mardi Gras season.
This year’s lineup has been announced, along with new information about this year’s parade and food offerings, and Universal’s 30th year of Mardi Gras is gearing up to be one heck of a party!
There are currently twelve concerts scheduled to take place over the duration of this year’s Mardi Gras event:
February 1: T-Pain
February 8: Joe Jonas
February 15: Kool & The Gang
February 16: Juanes
February 22: Scotty McCreery
March 1: Foster the People
March 8: Illenium
March 15: All Time Low
March 16: Lawrence
March 21: Coco Jones
March 22: DJ Pauly D
March 29: TLC
That is, again, a concert scheduled for every Saturday of the event! For those with Annual Passes, that’s two solid months of weekend concerts – and for those looking to experience just a day or two of the event, planning your Mardi Gras experience around the weekend you want to be in the park for your favorite artist is a must!
But concerts aren’t the only perk to visiting Universal Orlando Resort during this time of year! One of the biggest draws – like with any Universal Orlando Resort event – is the food! Specialty food and beverage has yet to be fully announced, but Universal gave fans a sneak peek with select dishes that will be available to sample this year at various food stalls across the park.
Hot Maple Lacquered Salmon, Spicy Szechuan Chicken Bites, and the glorious return of the Colombian Burger are some of the specialty foods that will be featured in this year’s Mardi Gras event, along with traditional Creole flavors that guests have come to expect from the Louisiana-inspired event.
The parks aren’t the only place serving up flavor this year, either! Guests visiting select Universal Hotels can find treats like the Bourbon Street Beignets at The Kitchen in the Hard Rock Hotel, Bayou Shrimp and Grits at Bar 17 in the Aventura Hotel, and New Orleans Chicken or Shrimp Po’Boys at Beach Break Cafe in Surfside Inn and Suites.
And for those looking to kick their Mardi Gras experience up a notch, there’s no experience quite like the Ride and Dine – Universal Orlando’s Mardi Gras VIP event that sees guests served a decadent three-course meal at their choice of select Universal Orlando Resort restaurants, followed by the thrill of a lifetime as they board a Mardi Gras float to be an official bead thrower!
Guests interested in the VIP experience can find more information about the event on the Universal website [here], or read Theme Park Shark’s breakdown of the Ride and Dine event below. See you at Universal’s hottest party of the year!
