Sounds of the Mardi Gras Belt

In this 30-minute public lecture, I explore the shared musical heritage of Mardi Gras across the U.S. Gulf Coast, what I call the “Mardi Gras Belt.” Moving beyond the New Orleans-centered narratives that dominate popular media, I highlight how Mardi Gras traditions in Pensacola, Galveston, and Mobile reveal an interconnected regional sound shaped by migration, colonial histories, and ongoing cultural exchange. Rather than treating these celebrations as isolated, the talk frames them as part of a broader Gulf Coast network. Designed for a broad, non-specialist audience, I begin with an accessible introduction to secondline music, the New Orleans brass band tradition that has become a widely recognized sonic marker of Mardi Gras and has influenced celebrations in neighboring cities. Building from this point, I then present three focused case studies that demonstrate how local communities expand and reinterpret Mardi Gras soundscapes. These Mardi Gras case studies include Pensacola’s prominent bagpipe…