Town of Port Royal, businesses prep for 3rd annual Mardi Gras Parade

PORT ROYAL, S.C. (WTOC) - For the third year in a row, a Mardi Gras celebration will be hitting the streets of Port Royal.

“Our town motto is, ‘Cool. Coastal. Far from Ordinary,’ so we are always looking for ways to honor that brand and really bring unique experiences to Port Royal,” Mayor of Port Royal, Kevin Phillips, said. “This just seemed like a perfect fit.”

The parade will start on Paris Avenue in Port Royal at the post office at 4 p.m., and will travel down the road before turning onto 11th Street, eventually making its way to Shellring Ale Works.

“We’re all here gathering, having a good time, drinking beer, having some soda, water, or whatever,” Owner of Shellring AleWorks, Nick Borreggine said. “Everybody’s just having a good time.”

A parade that celebrates abundance and indulgence right before the Christian fasting season of Lent has traveled eight hours from its Mobile, Alabama, roots to the South Carolina coast for hundreds to take part in.

It will feature marching bands, golf carts, floats, and different organizations walking the near mile long route.

Each group is ready to throw out beads and goodies to the hundreds of people expected to attend.

Organizers say that this parade has grown every year, and they are expecting it to do so this time around, especially after adding a new event to end the parade.

“Whale Branch High School and Battery Creek High School will have a Battle of the Bands, where they are both going to perform four different songs back and forth,” Phillips said. “Then of course we have judges that will pick the winner of that, and I think those kids and those students, it’ll be a fun treat for them. I’m sure they have never gotten to do something like this.”

There are still some spots available if you want to enter a golf cart or a float in the parade.

The town asks that you contact them as soon as possible, so they can adjust the line-up.

Ahead of the parade, Port Royal police officers will be blocking off streets in the town to let the parade through, so if you are traveling in that area, you may get rerouted.