BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) - The Gulf Coast Carnival Association’s (GCCA) theme for Mardi Gras 2025 is “In Search of Lost Legends.”
FLOAT DEN
GCCA crews are busy spending time in the Float Den decorating to the theme.
Captain of Carnival, David Harris Jr., said it is all hands on deck this time of year.
”It shows you the dedication of our community members to making Mardi Gras great every year," said Harris Jr.
Doug Blom is one of many float makers. He has worked with GCCA for 43 years, and each year Blom tries to take his technique to the next level.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I try something a little different each year with the floats, doing something that nobody has done before,” said Blom. “We are even putting something new up at city hall this year and doing a lot of different stuff.”
MARDI GRAS COSTUMES
GCCA royalty will ride on the floats during the Fat Tuesday parade. The group often wears elaborate costumes that Sheila Gray, the royal seamstress, has been designing and weaving together for 45 years.
“They give us a theme, and my daughter, Angela, does the sketches for us,” said Gray. “She knows what can be done or what looks best. So then as we go through it, we pick our own fabrics, we do our own designs, and go from there.”
Gray is going to hang up her sewing kit after this year.
“I don’t mind the work. It’s just a lot. As you get older, you need to slow down,” said Gray.
ADVERTISEMENT
GCCA HISTORY
The Hunt family, including sisters Martha Tripp and Susan Hunt, have been involved in Mardi Gras on the Gulf Coast for years.
Jeff O’Keefe, who was King D’Iberville in 2000, is celebrating his 25th anniversary of ruling carnival on the Coast. As a token of his affection to the craft, he hung up a sign in the GCCA Float Den that honors the Hunt family’s loyalty to carnival and the pioneer spirit.
“We wanted to start it with those who began it and spent the most time in it,” said O’Keefe.
The sign is dedicated to Walter Henry “Skeet” Hunt and Walter Kenner “Skeet” Hunt, who were involved with GCAA as captains for a combined 62 years.
“We appreciate that. Our dad and our grandfather loved Mardi Gras. They love seeing the children have a good time,” said Tripp.
“We know what to do when it comes to Mardi Gras,” said Susan Hunt. “It was a very special time in our lives, and it still is.”
FAT TUESDAY PARADE
The GCCA parade will roll through downtown Biloxi at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, March 4.
Floats will travel down Main Street, Lameuse Street, and Martin Luther King Boulevard, then head west on Howard Avenue before turning south on Porter Avenue, ending near Lighthouse Park.
See a spelling or grammar error in this story? Report it to our team HERE.
Copyright 2025 WLOX. All rights reserved.