Biloxi Annual Events

Biloxi doesn't need a reason to throw a party, but it's got about a dozen good ones lined up every year. From Mardi Gras beads in the dead of winter to a lit-up boat parade the week before Christmas, the Gulf Coast's festival calendar rarely goes quiet for long. These are the traditions worth building a trip around — not one-off dates, but events the coast has run for decades and keeps running. Exact dates shift from year to year, so treat the months below as a season to plan around, then check the event's own listing before you book.

Mardi Gras Season

Carnival season runs from Twelfth Night in early January through Fat Tuesday. The Gulf Coast Carnival Association — Biloxi's own Mardi Gras krewe — puts on the city's biggest parade, and smaller krewes roll through Ocean Springs, Pass Christian, and Bay St. Louis on their own nights throughout the season. Bring the kids to the Krewe of Barkloxi's PAWrade at Point Cadet, where the "royalty" walks on four legs. Book a room early if your trip lands on parade weekend — the casino hotels fill up fast.

Late January brings the PCA Finals Rodeo to the Mississippi Coast Coliseum, four days of bull riding and bareback broncs that cap off a season of smaller rodeos across the region. The Biloxi Boat Show follows in February at the same venue, if you'd rather browse center consoles than watch cowboys.

Spring

March turns into a slow-rolling St. Patrick's Day celebration up and down the coast — Gulfport runs its own parade, and Ocean Springs' Hibernia Marching Society leads a bigger one through downtown. D'Iberville throws its Barbecue Throwdown & Festival the same month, with pitmasters competing for a cash purse in front of a crowd that shows up as much for the smoke as the contest.

April belongs to the Crawfish Music Festival at the Coliseum — three days, thousands of pounds of crawfish, and a lineup that's brought in national country and rock acts for more than thirty years running. St. Ann's Catfish Festival, out in Lizana near Gulfport, keeps things smaller and more local: fried catfish, a fishing rodeo, and a church parking lot that turns into a carnival for the weekend.

Early Summer

Memorial Day weekend means the Mississippi Gulf Coast Memorial Day Blowout at Gulfport Dragway — decades of history as a Harley-only rally, now open to every make of bike, with drag races and a bike show that draws riders from across the South. A few days later, Biloxi's Fais Do-Do & Blessing of the Fleet marks the real start of shrimp season, a tradition that goes back to 1929: a priest blesses the shrimp boats at St. Michael's, a Shrimp King and Queen get crowned, and the fleet parades along the waterfront that evening.

June brings Scrapin' the Coast to the Coliseum for custom trucks and burnout contests, plus Bikin' the Beach, a newer coastwide motorcycle rally that's quickly become a June fixture of its own. By early July, the Mississippi Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo has anglers weighing in king mackerel and red snapper at Jones Park — it's been running since the 1940s and shows no sign of stopping.

Fall

September's Biloxi Seafood Festival is the one locals actually plan their weekend around — the Town Green fills with gumbo, boiled shrimp, and live music, a tradition running more than four decades now. The Gulf Coast Blues & Heritage Festival follows later that month in Gulfport.

October is Cruisin' the Coast, a full week of hot rods and classic cars parked bumper to bumper along Highway 90 from Bay St. Louis to Pascagoula — organizers call it America's Largest Block Party, and hotel rooms disappear months ahead of it. Beauvoir hosts its Fall Muster the same month, with Civil War reenactors camping on the grounds of Jefferson Davis's old home.

November is arguably the best month on the coast for a day trip: the Peter Anderson Arts & Crafts Festival takes over historic downtown Ocean Springs with more than 400 artists under the live oaks, drawing close to 100,000 people over a single weekend. Back in Gulfport, the Scottish Highland Games and Celtic Music Festival brings bagpipe bands, caber tosses, and clan tents to the Harrison County Fairgrounds.

Holiday Season

December closes the year with two lit-up boat parades. Christmas on the Water sails from the Biloxi Lighthouse to Point Cadet Marina, where fireworks cap off an evening of decorated shrimp boats and pleasure craft cruising past the crowds on the seawall. A week or so later, Christmas on the Bayou runs the same idea through Gulfport Lake and Bayou Bernard — pack a blanket and watch from Captain's Wharf or James Hill Park.

Ready to plan around one of these? Pair your trip with a stay at one of the Biloxi hotels near the action, or check the attractions and restaurants guides for what to fill the rest of your visit with.