Sean Paul, Beach Boys kick off Universal Orlando’s Mardi Gras
It’ll take you about two hours to drive from Bradenton to Universal Orlando, but over the next couple of months you’ll have lots of extra reasons to make the trip.
Universal’s Mardi Gras celebration kicks off this weekend, and through the end of March it hosts more than a dozen concerts by major acts in just about all genres of music, from hip-hop to country to classic rock.
It gets going Saturday with a performance by Sean Paul, the Grammy Award-winning reggae/hip-hop artist who has scored hits with his album “Dutty Rock” and such singles as “Gimmie the Light,” “Get Busy” and “Cheap Thrills.”
Other acts slated to appear in Universal’s Music Plaza during Mardi Gras include the Beach Boys (with Mike Love, without Brian Wilson, on Feb. 10), country-pop star Kelsea Ballerini (Feb. 17), Macklemore (Feb. 24) and Foreigner (March 17).
You can probably find at least one or two headlining acts on the concert schedule that suit your musical tastes, but even if you can’t, Universal’s Mardi Gras has lots of other stuff to tempt you. There’s a a nightly parade, authentic New Orleans-style cuisine at the French Quarter Courtyard and music by New Orleans brass bands. The last headline concert is March 27, but the Mardi Gras party continues through April 7.
There’s no extra charge for the Mardi Gras celebration or the concerts. It’s all included in the park’s admission price. All sorts of ticket packages are available, but one-day passes for Florida residents start at $110.
Here’s the entire Mardi Gras concert schedule. All the concerts start at 8:30 p.m.:
Feb. 3: Sean Paul
Feb. 10: The Beach Boys
Feb. 17: Kelsea Ballerini
Feb. 18: Andy Grammer
Feb. 24: Macklemore
March 3: 311
March 4: Philip Phillips
March 10: TBA
March 11: Fitz and the Tantrums
March 17: Foreigner
March 18: Fifth Harmony
March 24: TBA
March 25: Bush
For more information, go to universalorlando.com.
Marty Clear: 941-708-7919, @martinclear
This story was originally published January 31, 2018 at 1:51 PM with the headline "Sean Paul, Beach Boys kick off Universal Orlando’s Mardi Gras."