Mardi Gras in Santa Barbara

By Robert Bernstein

Mardi Gras came to Santa Barbara on Saturday 26 February, thanks to Teresa Kuskey Nowak and her energetic La Boheme dancers! Teresa is the feathered lady here.Here are all my photos.

The group gathered at the corner of State and Victoria at 5PM in front of the Brazil Arts Cafe. Which, unfortunately, was in the process of closing. Here the dancers posed for a huge group photo.

Solstice artist Pali invited me to ride my unicycle at this event. It was a bit of a challenge to find a place to fit in. Here I posed with Pali and his lovely dancer lady friend Raven.

The performers then did a short parade two blocks down State Street and back up.

Here is a collection of my video clips from the occasion.

The grand finale of the event on State Street was Angela Genesis performing some spectacular aerial feats and more!

After that, the event moved into La Arcada, but we did not feel COVID safe in such a tight space, so densely packed.

Here are a few more of my photos from the occasion!

Starting with local Solstice artists Ana Fagan and Katie Beccio:

This was advertised as the First Annual Santa Barbara Mardi Gras. Mark your calendar for next year when it will be even bigger and better!