The big weekend is officially kicking off today. The floats are getting fine tuned, and the beads are already loaded up.
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The Knights of Momus spent nearly $150,000 in beads alone, and they are giving them away for free.
The big Mardi Gras parade costs about $1 million to put on, and each float is worth about $50,000 to $70,000.
A history of Mardi Gras in Galveston
This year, revelers will notice some high-tech additions, including LED lights controlled by computers and synched to the music.
"To Galveston, it's a great economic boost," said Robert Kline, president of the Knights of Momus. "There are hundreds of thousands of people on the island each weekend."
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"For our parade alone, the annual estimate is about 350,000 viewers along the parade route."
Award-winning singer Jason Derulo will perform at the big gala at the San Luis Convention Center.
This year's theme is out of this world, too: Space pirates.