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Photo by Rita Rose, courtesy of LakeExpo.com
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The
12th Annual Mardi Gras Pub Crawl has become one of the Lake's most
popular winter activities and continues to draw increasingly larger
crowds each year. Last year, the event had an estimated attendance of
over 6,000, with even more expected this year.
"Our
festival is helping to attract more and more winter visitors to the
Lake every year," said Mardi Gras Pub Crawl organizer Jeff Carroll. "A
lot of people who attend the festival reserve a room and schedule a
weekend getaway around the event. This year, with Presidents' Day,
they'll have a three-day weekend to shop, sightsee and explore. Winter
is a beautiful time at the Lake and this event allows us to showcase a
lot of the great things we have to offer. We have great fishing in the
winter. We're the home of the largest outlet mall in Missouri. We also
have five wineries and two state parks. And if the weather is good, you
can golf at one or more of our 15 area courses. And I'm only mentioning a
few of the attractions we have in the area. I think visitors are
discovering that the Lake of the Ozarks is a year-around travel
destination."
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Photo by Rita Rose, courtesy of LakeExpo.com
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Eleven
years ago, the Mardi Gras Pub Crawl started with just eight locations
and four 16-passenger buses. This year, patrons will have the
convenience of 26 full-sized buses, the variety of 20 nightspots and
restaurants and the assurance of a safe, fun evening.
"Our
message to our guests is to ride the bus, be safe and have fun," said
Carroll. "We're all about safety and responsibility. We just want to
make sure that everyone has a good time. I think one of the reasons that
our pub crawl is so popular is because we offer safe transportation to
and from each location from start to finish. We have a
uniformed security guard on each bus and we work closely with the local
police department to make sure that when you attend the Mardi Gras Pub
Crawl, you can put your keys away and have a fantastic worry-free
evening out on the town."
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Photo by Rita Rose, courtesy of LakeExpo.com
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To
ride the buses, festival-goers must purchase a $7 wristband that
includes entry into all participating restaurants and nightspots, bus
transportation between all pub crawl locations and pick ups/drop offs at
participating hotels, motels and resorts. A wristband can be purchased
in advance or on the night of the event at restaurants/nightspots on the
route.
The
fleet of 26 buses will transport attendees on a continuous circuit of
all 20 bars and restaurants. The buses will make numerous stops at each
venue and will make drop-offs at hotels, motels and resorts. Buses begin
departing from partner hotels, motels and resorts at 3 p.m. and will
run on the circuit until 2:30 a.m.
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Photo by Rita Rose, courtesy of LakeExpo.com
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Most
Mardi Gras Pub Crawl venues will have live entertainment. Some will
feature live rock, blues and country music, while other locations have
DJs and/or karaoke. The restaurants on the festival's bus route are an
eclectic mix of food options for guests, including Mexican cuisine,
prime rib, seafood, Ozark-style barbeque, Chicago-style pizza and much
more. Shuttle riders also will be able to collect Mardi Gras beads and
other themed souvenirs along the route.
For overnight accommodations, live entertainment and dining options, please visit the festival's website at LakeAreaPubCrawl.com, or visit FunLake.com. For the latest Lake of the Ozarks Mardi Gras Pub Crawl news, like the event's Facebook page at Facebook.com/LakePubCrawl.
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