LOCAL EVENTS
- Want to celebrate Mardi Gras locally? Ojai celebrates every year in March at this fun EVENT!
- Rabalais in Santa Paula will also host a fun Fat Tuesday Event on February 9th
DOWNLOAD Mardi Gras Coloring Pages for the kids
Learn about Mardi Gras' History HERE
Mardi Gras is the culmination of the carnival season of revelry and feasting. One of the traditions of the holiday is to make a King Cake, HERE is a history of the cake.
Recipes for the King Cake
Traditional King Cake Recipe from Scratch
Easy Imitation King Cake
Gluten FREE King Cake
Another tradition of the holiday is to wear colored beads in Mardi Gras colors like a deep purple and to wear masks. Here are some Mask crafts you can make with the kids:
Duct Tape Mardi Gras Mask (instructions provided by Michelle Melnik)
What you need:
- Colored duct tape (Mardi Gras colors are purple, green, and gold)
- Pipe cleaners or plastic straws
- Scissors
- Mask template (optional)
- Hole punch
What you do:
- Put strips of duct tape on a table, sticky side up. (Note: this step is easier if you tear the tape rather than using scissors.)
- Cover all the sticky duct tape with more duct tape, sticky side down, so that it's no longer sticky.
- Draw or trace the make using a pen or Sharpie.
- Cut out your mask.
- Make a small fold where you want the eyes and cut the fold.
- Place another strip of duct tape on the table sticky side up.
- Place a pipe cleaner or straw on the duct tape, then roll the tape around the pipe cleaner or straw to make a handle.
- Make a small hole on the side of your mask and add your handle.
- Add duct tape to the back to keep your handle in place.
- Decorate your mask with feathers, stickers, or different shapes made from duct tape.
- To attach the decorative items, roll a small piece of duct tape so that it's sticky all around and use it to adhere your items.
Paper Plate Mardi Gras Mask (instructions provided by Cheri Kotenbeutel)
What you need:
- Paper plate
- Scissors
- Glue
- Markers/Crayons
- Feathers, sequins, pom-poms, glitter glue, stickers, etc.
- Popsicle stick
What you do:
- Cut the paper plate in half and cut out eye holes.
- Then give the plate to your child to decorate, decorate, decorate!
- Use anything and everything at your disposal and let your child really have fun with this part.
- Once everything has dried, glue the popsicle stick to the back of the mask.
