This February why don’t you celebrate Mardi Gras close to home — at the beach, Rehoboth Beach that is, on Main Street.  Join the hundreds that will be partaking of the fun and food at the third annual Mardi Gras celebration. For the second year in a row, the celebration will also include a Gumbo Cook-off.    

Almost two dozen restaurants are gearing up for Mardi Gras Weekend, Feb. 1–3, in downtown Rehoboth Beach.  Restaurants will have New Orleans-inspired food, Bourbon Street beverages (Hurricanes, spicy Bloody Marys and other Cajun favorites), incredible parties and beads, beads, beads!! Restaurants have different beads and you can collect them all.

The Gumbo Cook-off will be held on Saturday, Feb. 2, from 4 to 7 p.m. at participating restaurants. To get an official ballot, call 302-227-2772, then taste all the gumbo in town and vote for your favorite. Last year, more than 400 people attended and walked from restaurant to restaurant with ballots in hand (and sometimes gumbo cups, too!) chatting with each other, comparing notes on favorites and generally enjoying themselves. As for the Gumbo itself, last year’s Cook-Off winner was The Purple Parrot restaurant, which cooked up a very authentic gumbo. Gumbo Cook-off ballots are $5 each, and give you a taste of the gumbo and a vote at each participating establishment.

Apart from the cook-off, there will be sugar powdery beignets (a New Orleans signature breakfast), Po’ Boys, and Cajun Etouffe, and many other Cajun or Creole recipes as restaurants cook New Orleans style and serve up feasts and fun. Whether the restaurants specialize in Latin cuisine or burgers and beer, everyone will be going Cajun for Downtown Rehoboth’s Mardi Gras. There will be special Mardi Gras parties and meals all over town.

Check out the Rehoboth Beach Main Street website at www.rehomain.com for menu and party details and phone numbers for each of the participating restaurants. For more information call 302-227-2772.