Barstow's Route 66 Mardi Gras Halloween Parade dates to the early 1930s

San Bernardino County published a historical feature recounting Barstow’s Mardi Gras Halloween Parade; the county said the Kiwanis Club proposed the large parade and Mardi Gras celebration in the early 1930s and organized the event.

In the past, Barstow celebrated Halloween over two days, with trick-or-treating on Oct. 30 and the parade on Oct. 31, the county said. The club added a dance to entertain residents and raise funds for local children.

The Mardi Gras name comes from the parade's floats and annual themes, which are similar to those featured in New Orleans, the county said. Schools and neighboring communities build floats and showcase local talent.

The parade runs along Route 66 and Main Street in Barstow; each year the Kiwanis Club selects a theme and a grand marshal to lead the procession.

In 1964, the theme was "Politics on Parade," and Ronald Reagan served as grand marshal, the county said. Reagan was elected governor of California two years later.

More than 90 years after it began, the Barstow Mardi Gras Halloween Parade remains a longstanding Halloween tradition in the community, the county said.

Barstow is located 32 miles north of Victorville and has a population of more than 24,000 people; the city serves as a hub for nearby desert communities such as Yermo, Baker and Newberry Springs, the county said.

The county said the information in this historical feature was originally part of a video series produced by the Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk’s office.

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