BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) – When many think of Mardi Gras, they may think of beads, king cake, and parades. However, its history is much deeper than that.
Coastal Mississippi Mardi Gras Museum executive director Abreeza Thomas explains Mardi Gras dates back to ancient times overseas. The museum was founded on the Coast in the late 80s.
“It was just a small office operation and at that point in time and as things grew, the museum was located in the early 2000s at the old Magnolia Hotel,” said Thomas. “Then in 2019, we opened here in our present location and expanded to really cover more of the whole Coast in terms of Mardi Gras instead of just focusing on one or two specific groups.”
The museum mostly consists of different costume pieces from different krewes along the Coast.
“We have things like crowns, we also have mantels, dresses, trains, we have plenty doubloons and other invitations — lots of beads.”
As far as upkeep, it might not be as bad as one might think.
“Most everything that’s on display stays stationary. It’s not like ‘Night of the Museum’ where mannequins have other own Mardi Gras party in the middle of the day. For the most part, it’s just keeping organized and right now going through what we do have and trying to organize that a little bit.”
Operating as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Thomas explains the museum relies heavily on donations, grants, memberships, and other funding from outside sources.
Over the years, the museum continues to grow and storage space has become slim. All donations must now be reviewed via email before dropoff.
Adult tickets to the museum are $8. For children 12 and under as well as students with valid IDs, tickets cost $5.
The museum and its programs are supported by the City of Biloxi, Gulf Coast Carnival Association, Mississippi Arts Commission and other private donors.
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