The 20th edition of the Magic Hat Mardi Gras Parade took place in Burlington on February 28th this year, and the milestone was celebrated in a most grand manner!
This year, Magic Hat Brewing Company welcomed the Vermont Foodbank as the new Mardi Gras partner and beneficiary, and together with visitors and our community, we were able to bring in $20,000 in donations. That’s a whopping 60,000 meals for Vermonters in need!
We had an amazing time at this year’s event which featured a sold out kick-off party with Gogol Bordello Friday night at Higher Ground, The Grippo Funk Band rocking out in our City Hall Park Bazaar, Sambatucada and The Bindlestiff Family Cirkus performing along Church Street, and, of course, the Grand Parade that featured 27 floats rolling down Main Street.
This year’s winner of the best float went to Select Design’s tribute to being “Ossum” and the winner of our Great Gras Contest went to Dealer.Com, who raised over $1,500 for the Foodbank.
“We owe a lot to the Foodbank and their passionate people for the success of this year’s event. They helped keep the streets safe as the floats rolled by thousands of revelers, they withstood the cold and sold beads and masks along Church Street, and they doled out heaping helpings of gumbo to warm the masses in City Hall Park. All this in addition to already helping to provide food for 153,000 Vermonters – that’s 1 in 4 of our neighbors – through a network of 225 food shelves, meal sites, shelters, senior centers and youth programs,” said a Magic Hat representative.
The money raised during Mardi Gras will be put to use ensuring children, their families, seniors and hardworking residents of Vermont don’t have to make a choice between feeding themselves and providing for other necessities.
To see photos of this year’s Parade, check out the Flickr page.
The 2015 Magic Hat Mardi Gras Parade was presented by 99.9 The Buzz, 106.7 WIZN and Seven Days, with additional support from Hilton Burlington, ArborTrek Canopy Adventures, YELP, Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa, Lake Champlain Chocolates and Cabot Creamery Cooperative. A huge thanks to all of the sponsors!
Learn more about Magic Hat Brewing Company here, and experience a performance in every bottle!
###
Vermont Foodbank is the state’s largest hunger-relief organization, providing nutritious food through a network of more than 300 community partners – food shelves, meal sites, schools, hospitals, and housing sites. Food insecurity has increased dramatically as a result of the pandemic, economic disruptions, and recent flooding. The Vermont Foodbank and its network have been on the front lines, working to ensure that everyone has the food they need to maintain their health. Last year, the Vermont Foodbank provided over 12 million pounds of food to people throughout Vermont. The Vermont Foodbank, a member of Feeding America, is nationally recognized as one of the most effective and efficient nonprofits and food banks in the nation.