Apalachicola readies for ‘Game of Bones’
Get ready to unleash the fun at the 2025 Apalachicola Mardi Gras Barkus Parade and Street Festival, taking place this Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21 and 22.
This year’s festival promises to be bigger and better than ever, featuring the 14th annual Mardi Gras Pet Parade with the enchanting theme “Game of Bones – the Canine Kingdom Rules.” Attendees can expect a whimsical adventure celebrating our furry friends in an imaginary world filled with canines and castles.
The excitement kicks off on Friday from 2 to 8 p.m. ET, at Riverfront Park with a Fido-Do, a delightful twist on traditional Mardi Gras festivities, with local craft beers, street entertainment, and live music by Dirty Little Billy from 4 to 8 p.m. Participants can also take part in engaging activities, including costume contests, dragon relay races, and a live auction.
On Saturday, the action continues with the Mardi Gras Barkus Street Festival from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, still held at Riverfront Park. Over 40 vendors will be showcasing their goods, accompanied by live music from Chicken Phat, along with a beer and wine garden featuring an array of local craft brews.
The day’s highlight – the Mardi Gras Barkus Pet Parade – will certainly steal the show, alongside street performers, a silent auction, pet and family photo opportunities, and even pet adoptions through the Franklin County Humane Society. Guests will have the chance to meet animal ambassadors from the Florida Wild Mammal Association too, making this event not just enjoyable but educational.
The parade itself kicks off at 1 p.m. ET, with decorated golf carts, boats, colorful floats, and a host of enthusiastic participants, both four-legged and two-legged! Starting from Riverfront Park, the parade will wind its way through town, culminating back at the park for more festivities and frolic. Beyond the revelry, the Mardi Gras Barkus Parade and Street Festival serves a greater purpose. The event partners with local animal rescues, including the Franklin County Humane Society and the Florida Wild Mammal Association, to raise awareness and funds for animals in need.
Each year, the King and Queen of Apalachicola’s Mardi Gras celebration are shelter animals hoping to find their forever homes, adding a heartwarming touch to the festivities.
For more information, contact 850-624-8085 or email apalachdogs@gmail.com.
Meet the Editor
David Adlerstein, The Apalachicola Times’ digital editor, started with the news outlet in January 2002 as a reporter.
Prior to then, David Adlerstein began as a newspaperman with a small Boston weekly, after graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He later edited the weekly Bellville Times, and as business reporter for the daily Marion Star, both not far from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
In 1995, he moved to South Florida, and worked as a business reporter and editor of Medical Business newspaper. In Jan. 2002, he began with the Apalachicola Times, first as reporter and later as editor, and in Oct. 2020, also began editing the Port St. Joe Star.