New Orleans Bash at the Bothwell February 8, 2013

This popular Mardi Gras party and dance returns complete with live music, a la carte Louisiana style cuisine, a Pirate's Corner bar, hurricanes, and excessive decor. A Bourbon Street-style souvenir shop allows revelers to purchase masks, beads, boas and trinkets to deck themselves out, Mardi Gras style.

At 6pm and 7pm, while "Queen of Boogie Woogie" Michelle DeWitt kicks off the show in "Jackson Square", Big Money in Gumbo with vocalist Lady Mem'fis will perform two small private concerts honoring Preservation Hall, a famous club in New Orleans' French Quarter that honors the birthplace of jazz. Big Money in Gumbo is led by Mal Sharpe of KCSM-FM's Back to Basin Street fame. Hailed by a reviewer as a "New Orleans-drenched jazz and R&B (band) that can cover everything from Louis Armstrong to Professor Longhair," these popular tribute shows sell out each year, so purchase tickets early.

Following the Preservation Hall Experience, Big Money in Gumbo members join DeWitt in "Jackson Square" for a lively full-blown street party, New Orleans-Style, with regular partygoeers that get up and dance the longest Conga line in Livermore, threading through the building and crowding the dance floor.

With over-the-top decor that echoes the atmosphere of the French Quarter, to the excess that is Mardi Gras, we offer a chance to step out in style or be Bourbon-Street casual for a night of live music and a great party. More than just another fundraiser, the Bash has become the place to celebrate while helping to keep rental costs low for the nonprofits and others that use the Bothwell for cultural arts classes and activities, from music recitals to art classes. Like the Bothwell Arts Center on Facebook to stay informed!

Official Website: http://mylvpac.com/index.php/bac/new-orleans-bash-at-the-bothwell.html