City hosting Mardi Gras party, Dogwood Festival starting this month

By NEAL EMBRY

Those looking to celebrate Mardi Gras won’t have to travel outside of Vestavia Hills.

On Feb. 18, the city will host a progressive dinner beginning at 4 p.m., taking guests through different Cahaba Heights restaurants and ending with the after party at Cajun Steamer.

Guests have multiple ways to participate in the dinner. They can pedal their way, purchasing seats on one of two pedal carts, each of which comes with a driver and seats 14 people. The carts will be decorated for Mardi Gras and also come equipped with a Bluetooth speaker to play music. Guests can bring their own beverages.

Trolleys will also be available. Guests can purchase a ticket for one of 30 seats on a trolley bus and leave the driving to someone else. A self-guided tour is also available.

Tickets for the dinner can be purchased at bit.ly/dogwood_fest.

At Cajun Steamer, an after party will include the Admiral Phunk Brass Band, an indoor and outdoor bar, food and Mardi Gras giveaways. Jenna Hosemann, marketing and branding manager for the restaurant, said there will be Fat Tuesday drink specials, crawfish and more. It will be a true celebration of Mardi Gras, a “big party where everyone is welcome,” Hosemann said.

After the Feb. 18 celebration, Hosemann said the celebration will continue at Cajun Steamer through Fat Tuesday, set for Feb. 21.

Assistant City Manager Cinnamon McCulley said the city wanted to have a parade, but due to the need for further planning, that will tentatively take place next February. Still, the event is an effort by the city to reach more visitors and give residents something fun to do within city limits.

“We want them [residents] to think of Vestavia Hills as the destination,” McCulley said.

The event is a lead-in to the state’s longest-running Dogwood Festival, held each year in Vestavia Hills. Beginning with the 2022 iteration, the city rebranded the festival to bring in other already-happening events and provide opportunities for residents to enjoy something in every part of Vestavia.

Events include the Dogwood Dink pickleball tournament, Wing Ding and more. Last year’s festival was very popular, with close to 25 events, McCulley said.

“We knew we needed to grow and hope to have more brand recognition,” she said.

The Dogwood Dink guarantees participants at least three games of pickleball, according to the city’s website. It also makes use of the city’s new Civic Center, McCulley said.

Children move through a bounce house during the Vestavia Hills Spring Sports Celebration event, part of this year’s Dogwood Festival, held at Wald Park in March 2022.

Early bird registration for Vestavia Hills residents will be available through Feb. 1; registration will then open to the public through Tuesday, Feb. 14. Registration will be online at vhrecreation.activityreg.com/ selectactivity_t2.wcs.

For those looking to give back, the Superhero Fun Run, a fun run for children, will benefit the Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Program at UAB Hospital’s O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center. The event will be held March 4 at 8 a.m. at Buddy Anderson Field. Superheroes will come to run, walk or maybe even skip alongside children, according to the city’s website. Students in first through fifth grades are eligible to participate, with a cost of $20 per person, including a T-shirt. The race begins at 8:30 a.m. Register no later than Feb. 21 at go.uab.edu/vhhsrise.

On March 10, the spring sports kick-off and