More than 40,000 revelers are expected to celebrate Mardi Gras in the Gaslamp Quarter on Tuesday night, with music, food and drink, and a New Orleans-style parade down 5th Avenue.
The annual “Fat Tuesday” event will include entertainment on five stages with headliner Snoopadelic, specials at more than 20 restaurants and bars in the area, and the parade.
The event, which benefits the Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation, begins at 5 p.m. and runs to midnight in an area around Fifth and Sixth Avenues and E Street to K Street.
General admission tickets cost $40, and VIP tickets — which include a special entrance, a parade viewing party and other perks — are $120.
To handle the crowds, the Metropolitan Transit System is adding late-night trolleys.
During the event Green Line trains will operate every 30 minutes, then every 15 minutes beginning at 10:38 p.m. and continuing until 12:08 a.m. There is a final train at 12:38 a.m.
Blue and Orange lines trolleys will operate on a 30-minute schedule during and after the festivities, with final trains at 12:22 a.m. and 12:25 a.m. respectively.
The Gaslamp Quarter Station is served by the Green Line and the Fifth Avenue Station is served by the Blue and Orange lines. Both stations are a block away from entrances to the Mardis Gras party.
Attendees can park free at trolley stations and ride into downtown. In addition, Qualcomm Stadium has 5,000 free parking spots.