Gallery
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
Joe Cain Day Sunday, March 2, 2025. Today, his historic march is commemorated on the Sunday before Fat Tuesday. For the full Mobile Mardi Gras experience, one must attend Joe Cain Day and its uniquely Mobile events. 5:45 p.m. – Mystics of Time (Mobile, Route H) Sunday, March 2 (Joe Cain Day) 2 p.m. – King Elexis I Motorcade (Mobile, Route E) 2.30 p.m. – Joe Cain Procession (Mobile, Route A) 5 p.m. – Le Krewe de Bienville (Mobile, Route A) Monday, March 3 (Lundi Gras) Noon – King Felix III, Floral Parade (Mobile, Route A) Sunday, March 2 (Joe Cain Day) Fort Morgan Parading Society | 1 p.m. Fort Morgan Arrival of King Elexis I | 2 p.m. Route E Loyal Order of the Firetruck | 2:29 p.m. Daphne Joe Cain Parade | 2:30 p.m. Route A Krewe DU Cirque | 6 p.m. OWA, Foley Coronation of King Elexis | 7 p.m. Mobile Convention Center. Monday, March 3 (Lundi Gras) The Mardi Gras mystic society of "Cain's Merry Widows" (a women's mystic society) was founded in 1974 in Mobile, Alabama. [1] Each Mardi Gras, on Joe Cain Day (the Sunday before Fat Tuesday), members of this society dress in funereal black with veils, lay a wreath at Cain's burial site in Church Street Graveyard to wail over their "departed MOBILE, Ala. — WKRG News 5 is your guide for all things Mardi Gras on the Gulf Coast. Seven organizations marched along the Gulf Coast on Joe Cain Day, the Sunday before Lundi Gras every year. Mobile is the birthplace of America's original Mardi Gras. That's right, Mardi Gras originated in 1703 right here in our port city. It was revived after the Civil War when citizen Joe Cain, fed up with post-war misery, led an impromptu parade down city streets. Wayne Dean of Mobile has been portraying Joe Cain for nearly four decades. Joe Cain is considered the founder of Mobile’s modern-day Mardi Gras. In 1866, Cain was said to have paraded through Julian Rayford, the famed folklorist whose efforts created the modern-day Joe Cain Day celebration during Mobile's Mardi Gras, speaks during the 1980 event in Bienville Square in downtown Mobile Cain’s Merry Widows schedule: 11:20 a.m. – Widows Arrival at Church Street Graveyard to wail at the gravesite of their beloved Joe - setting the stage for a day of revelry! 11:50 a.m. – Arrive at Joe Cain House, 906 Augusta Street, to celebrate their life there with Joe. 12:25 p.m. – Arrive Explore the vibrant traditions and culture behind America's most lively celebration with our "Mobile Mardi Gras Experience" Trail. Wander through the Mobile Carnival Museum's countless exhibits, snap a pic in front of Joe Cain's home and explore other must-see stops along parade routes with this FREE trail. Although most Mardi Gras parades in Mobile use one route, there are multiple routes that parade-goers should know before heading out the door. 7 parades happening on Joe Cain Day in the News 5 Mobile is the birthplace of America's original Mardi Gras. That's right, Mardi Gras originated in 1703 right here in our port city. It was revived after the Civil War when citizen Joe Cain, fed up with post-war misery, led an impromptu parade down city streets. Mobile is the birthplace of America's original Mardi Gras. That's right, Mardi Gras originated in 1703 right here in our port city. It was revived after the Civil War when citizen Joe Cain, fed up with post-war misery, led an impromptu parade down city streets. It has been tradition in Mobile to celebrate Joe Cain Day on the Sunday before Fat Tuesday since 1967. It’s a celebration of the modern Mardi Gras legendary founder, Joe Cain, who first marched It has been tradition in Mobile to celebrate Joe Cain Day on the Sunday before Fat Tuesday since 1967. It’s a celebration of the modern Mardi Gras legendary founder, Joe Cain, who first marched Joe Cain Day is an annual celebration in Mobile, Alabama, that honors the man credited for reviving the city’s Mardi Gras traditions. This event has become a favorite among both locals and visitors, providing an opportunity to come together and celebrate Mobile’s rich cultural heritage. Originated in 1703, Mobile is THE birthplace of America's original Mardi Gras. Joe Cain is the man. He brought Mardi Gras back to life after the Civil War by leading an impromptu parade down the streets of Mobile and we've been doing it ever since. Becoming Joe Cain’s neighbor meant inheriting a front-row seat to one of Mobile’s most-cherished traditions — the spectacle that is Joe Cain Day. Every last Sunday of Mardi Gras since 1974, Joe Cain’s Merry Widows have pilgrimaged from the Mobile icon’s resting place in the Church Street Graveyard to his home to celebrate his legacy Joe Cain (1832-1904) is regarded as the founder of Mobile's modern-day Mardi Gras celebration. In 1866, Cain paraded through downtown Mobile dressed as an imagined Indian chief, an act that helped rejuvenate the city's carnival tradition after the Civil War. Today, revelers commemorate Cain's role in reviving the celebration with a large public The story of Joseph Stillwell Cain, who is widely recognized for initiating the way Mobile now celebrates Mardi Gras, is liberally peppered with legend and even plain old mistakes. In 1930 – just 25 or so years after Joe’s death – the tale of his Mardi Gras ride through Mobile was told by author and journalist Erwin Craighead.
Articles and news, personal stories, interviews with experts.
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |