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Caption: Long Beach Mardi Gras Saturday, February 17
Caption: Mardi Gras, Long Beach Style:
The Shoreline Village in Long Beach, along with the YMCA, held their annual Mardi Gras celebration. There were stilt walkers, an accordion player and live bands, among so many other attractions and acts. People were in a general jolly mood, as they ate and shopped at restaurants and stores on the boardwalk. The highlight of the day was the New Orleans style parade, where community members marched down Shoreline Village in their best Mardi Gras attire and tossed beads at the cheering audience.
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Caption: Eyup Tekinbas, owner of Istanbul Home, takes his jewelry outside and advertises to potential customers on the boardwalk .
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Caption: DJ Gerson Anguiano plays his set on the boardwalk for passerby’s to dance to.
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Caption: Drag queen Jewels Long Beach hosts the Mardi Gras event. Here, she is seen announcing the parade.
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Caption: These friends in colorful matching shirts are set up in the grass. They patiently wait for the parade to begin.
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Caption: A brightly dressed woman grabs a handful of beads while marching in the parade
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Caption: Captain Morgan of The Outlaw Pirates poses for the crowd with his parrot, Stella, during the parade.
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Caption: Zydeco Trail Riderz, a Louisiana style band, performs after the parade.
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Caption: A belly dancer who had been in the parade dances amongst a crowd.
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Caption: Luca the stilt walker, who has a circus in Costa Mesa, walks down the boardwalk as spectators look up in awe.
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Caption: Smokey Miles performs with his accordion in the midst of a crowd looking up to catch beads.
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Caption: A security guard for the event tosses beads from a balcony into a crowd eager for the Mardi Gras jewelry.
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Caption: Photography and Words by Hannah Getahun