Bobby Sutton is bringing a healthy helping of Louisiana music, food and culture back to the former Farmer John meat packing plant on Tucson’s west side.
Sutton, whose family’s claim to fame is the annual haunted Halloween experience known as the Slaughterhouse, will be holding an all-day Mardi Gras celebration on Saturday, Feb. 26, on the same property at 1102 W. Grant Road.
The free event will be a microcosm of what you might find on the streets of New Orleans during Mardi Gras.
There will be live music from a local lineup of Cajun, jazz and zydeco bands, including The Lala, The Cornerstone Band and Dr. Mojo & the Zydeco Cannibals.
“Dr. Mojo played a crawfish boil for us last year at Famous Sam’s on River,” Sutton said. “It was like being in a bar on Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras.”
More than 2,000 pounds of crawfish are set to be boiled at this year's Tucson Mardi Gras.
Sutton has 2,000 pounds of crawfish ready to boil and king cakes — colorful cakes made specifically for the season — coming in from New Orleans.
SGT. of the South food truck, a local operation that specializes in Cajun cuisine, will also be on-site.
“The owner is from Texas but he served in the military in Louisiana,” Sutton said. “He can cook everything, shrimp and grits, crawfish étouffée.”
This will be the second Mardi Gras held by the Sutton family. The first was thrown in February 2020, just before the pandemic.
More than 3,000 people braved the rain to attend the festivities.
One of the most popular features during that first celebration, Sutton said, was the mini-Mardi Gras parades that took place several times throughout the day.
Scissor lifts, decorated as floats, made their way around the field on the property, while riders threw beads to the crowd below.
“It is not an Orpheus Parade going through downtown New Orleans,” Sutton said. “But it is fun, especially if you have never witnessed a Mardi Gras parade before.”
Tucson Mardi Gras runs from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. and general admission is free, with VIP upgrades — things like balcony seating and float rides — available.
Visit tucsonmardigras.com for more information.
