Mardi Gras festival, City of Trees Parade brings Carnaval flair to Old Sacramento

The city came alive Saturday and Sunday as thousands celebrated Mardi Gras in Old Sacramento, which included festively decorated floats Saturday that came down Capitol Mall as part of the City of Trees Parade.

The annual march Saturday included marching bands from Grant Union High School and UC Davis. The five-hour party featured rollerskaters, soul line dancers and a convertible carrying the crowned king and queen of the Mardi Gras Carnaval: Actors Christian LeBlanc of “The Young and the Restless” and Catherine Bach, who played Daisy Duke in the “The Dukes of Hazzard” and is also a star on the CBS soap opera.

The parade wasn’t the only action near the waterfront as vendors lined up on Second and J streets in the freeway gardens to sell their wares as a live band played and dancers boogied next to the festival’s main stage.

Specialty food vendors served traditional Southern cuisine like gumbo, jambalaya and po’boys. While the parade was free, admission to the vendor fair cost $20.

Old Sacramento businesses were also open during the event and some employees said they saw more business from the crowds the two-day celebration attracted.

“It’s definitely brought more foot traffic here,” Chacon said Saturday. “Our sales are doing relatively really good today.”

Evangeline’s, the historic district’s go-to costume and gift shop, had a smattering of Mardi Gras gear left as the parade ended.

“We’re very low. We’re all out of any of the beads we had,” Evangeline’s cashier Nancy Longo said. “It is busy today.”

This story was originally published February 19, 2023 at 2:48 PM.