Mardi Pardi at The Banks When: March 1 from 4-9 p.m. Where: The Banks What: The Banks is bringing the spirit of Bourbon Street to Cincinnati. The Queen City Krewe Brass Band will be performing New Orleans-style jazz while you visit 12 participating bars, such as Killer Queen and The Park, offering specials on food and drinks. Who: The Banks Why: There are going to be $8 king cake martinis at The Park? Sign me up. Photo: Polina Kovaleva/Pexels

Laissez les bon temps rouler! Bourbon Street is coming to Cincinnati this weekend.

Bars and restaurants at The Banks are teaming up for Mardi Pardi, a special Mardi Gras crawl, on Saturday, Feb. 10. The event will feature a Big Easy bar crawl with seven bars, live music, giveaways and specials at participating locations:

Fishbowl at The Banks
141 E. Freedom Way
Specials: Hurricane fishbowls, plus free king cake samples and red beans and rice while supplies last, plus live music 4-9 p.m.

Holy Grail
161 Joe Nuxhall Way
Will have food, drinks and entertainment.

Jefferson Social
101 E Freedom Way
Specials: $3 chips and salsa, $5 Fireball shots and $6 Hurricanes, plus a DJ all evening

Killer Queen
180 E. Freedom Way
Specials: “Let them eat (king) cake” shots and complimentary king cake samples, plus a giveaway for a four-day pass to the Voices of America Country Music Festival. There will also be a themed photo booth, live music from 6:30-7:30 p.m. and DJ Ruze will perform from 10 p.m. to close.

Red Leprechaun
20 W. Freedom Way
Specials: New Orleans-inspired Sazerac cocktails, made with Crown Royal whiskey, orange bitters, absinthe and a lemon peel; $5 “Dey Dogs” with bratwurst, bacon, sauerkraut, dill relish, Guinness onions, tomatoes and Creole mustard in honor of New Orleans joint Dat Dog; and complimentary king cake samples, plus live music from 4-10 p.m.

The Stretch
191 E. Freedom Way
Specials: Swamp Water espresso martinis with Smirnoff Vanilla Vodka, Kahlúa coffee liqueur, espresso blend cold brew and a gummy worm garnish; Gatorade shots made with grape-flavored vodka, blue curaçao, grenadine and sour mix. There will also be a themed photo booth, live music from 7:30–8:30 p.m. and DJ J.U. from 10 p.m. to close.

Tin Roof
160 E. Freedom Way
Specials: Shrimp po’boys, $6 hurricanes and $4 well drinks, plus music from DJ Kombat 4-9 p.m. and Super Nash Brothers live from 9:30 p.m. to close.

Cincinnati’s New Orleans-inspired seven-piece band Queen City Krewe Brass Band will stroll along Freedom Way and surrounding businesses throughout the event, and thousands of beads will be given to guests.

The Mardi Pardi runs from 4-9 p.m. and is free to attend, but guests must be 21 or older to enter participating establishments.

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This article appears in Feb 7-20, 2024.

Katherine Barrier is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s journalism program and has nearly 10 years of experience reporting local and national news as a digital journalist. At CityBeat, she...