San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter Brings New Orleans Musicians to the West Coast's Premier Mardi Gras Celebration

San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter Brings New Orleans Musicians to the West Coast's Premier Mardi Gras Celebration

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- San Diego's 11th Annual Mardi Gras in the Gaslamp Quarter, the largest Mardi Gras celebration west of the Mississippi, will host performances by original New Orleans Mardi Gras musicians. Through the Tipitina's Foundation program, displaced New Orleans musicians will perform at this year's celebration on February 28, 2006, sharing their musical talents with West Coast Mardi Gras partygoers.

Born out of the famous New Orleans Tipitina music venue, The Tipitina's Foundation is a program dedicated to helping artists recover from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, while preserving the cultural traditions of New Orleans.

"It is truly an honor to support the Tipitina's artist relief program," said Jimmy Parker, executive director of the Gaslamp Quarter Association in San Diego. "Music is such a traditional part of Mardi Gras festivities, and we are proud to bring the talent and passion of these New Orleans musicians to our celebration in San Diego."

Mardi Gras in the Gaslamp Quarter, presented by Southern Comfort, takes place in San Diego's 16.5 block historic district, which is decorated in purple, green and gold for visitors and San Diego locals celebrating the year's festival. Last year, 40,000 animated revelers brought out their feathered boas, and dressed in Mardi Gras costumes & colorful beads to capture attention during the highlight of the Mardi Gras celebration -- the Masquerade Parade.

Following this year's parade, five music stages will open, with the 4th Avenue Tipitina Stage featuring New Orleans musicians DJ Mac; The Frappe' Brass Band; The Wild Apache Mardi Gras Indians; 504 Brass Band and Kirk Joseph's Backyard Groove. KC and the Sunshine Band will headline the event, and the 4 additional stages will host local and regional acts.

Tickets are $20 per person at the gates during the night of the event. Advance tickets are for sale in limited Gaslamp locations for $15. Guests must be 21 years old and have proper I.D. to enter. No still cameras and no video cameras are allowed. For more information about this and other scheduled events or to buy tickets, visit www.gaslamp.org. For more information on the Tipitina's Foundation, visit www.tipitinasfoundation.org.

About San DieGO Downtown

Launched in July 2005, San DieGO Downtown is a first-ever private/public partnership campaign to acquaint the world with the attractions of Downtown San Diego and its Gaslamp Quarter. A campaign propelled by financial and in-kind contributions, the program employs a trail-blazing e-business and destination marketing program, augmented by intense publicity, site promotions and select traditional print ads to advance awareness and patronization of the Gaslamp Quarter National Historic District and the multitude of "Play" attractions that make Downtown San Diego one of the nation's most vibrant and enjoyable urban centers. For more information, please visit http://www.sdgodowntown.com/.

Source: Gaslamp Quarter Association

CONTACT: Lauren Clifford, cell, +1-781-801-0219, lauren@berkmanpr.com,
or Kristin Faulstich, kristin@berkmanpr.com, both of BERKMAN COMMUNICATIONS,
for Gaslamp Quarter Association, +1-619-231-9977

Web site: http://www.sdgodowntown.com/

Web site: http://www.tipitinasfoundation.org/

Web site: http://www.gaslamp.org/

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