Preparations Under Way For Mardi Gras Events Across The Borderland

The Sun City was making preparations all day for various Mardi Gras events around the area.

Beer, live bands and beads will fill Union Plaza on Tuesday evening for the Mardi Gras block party.

All nine bars participating in the festivities made sure there was plenty going on to keep revelers happy.

Union Plaza wasn’t the only place with Mardi Gras events Tuesday night. Event organizers spent turned Cincinnati Street into Bourbon Street for the big event.

Parts of Cincinnati and Baltimore streets in west El Paso were closed to make room for the Mardi Gras-goers.

Bar owners and staff were also busy with decorations, drink specials and a New Orleans-inspired menu for the event.

The kitchen staff at the Cincinnati Bar was hard at work since early Tuesday morning preparing authentic Cajun-style cuisine.

“We’ve been prepping for quite a while,” said Cincinnati Bar kitchen manager Johnny Guerrero. “It takes a lot of time, but it’s all worth it, and we all have fun.”

Cincinnati Street event organizers said they expect nearly 10,000 people to attend the event.

With lots of people, booze and beads, safety is a big concern. Local business owners said they’re taking extra steps to keep people safe.

“We have hired off-duty police officers, fire marshals, just to ensure that the area is safe and that everyone gets home fine after the party,” said The Garden’s event coordinator Marcos Diaz De Leon.

Both evens begin at 4 p.m. and continue until 2 a.m. with an admission of $10 for access to all participating bars in each location.