Galveston makes security changes ahead of its annual Mardi Gras festivities

GALVESTON, Texas (KTRK) -- If you're planning to attend Galveston's Mardi Gras festivities, you'll want to do more than plan out an outfit. You'll also need to avoid new traffic closures, or you could get stuck for hours.

The floats aren't moving yet, but beads already fill Galveston's streets for an event the city said can bring $350,000 to the island.

Carol Dale's 25th Street home sits along the Mardi Gras parade route, and its structure looks like it belongs in the parade itself.

"As soon as Christmas is over, we start decorating for Mardi Gras and looking forward to the party," Dale said.

This year, though, the beads, floats, and colors aren't the only items on people's minds. It's the island's first large event since a deadly terroristic attack in New Orleans.

On New Year's Eve, the FBI said a Houston man drove down Bourbon Street and killed 14. To protect people in Galveston, the island announced changes.

You can no longer drive a vehicle or golf cart on certain days on the Seawall. If you're parked there on those days, you can't move your vehicle either.

It's not just the Seawall seeing change, but also on 25th Street. Neighbors said last year, one side of the street was open, and the other was closed. That's not the way it's happening this year.

"All that confusion's going to be gone now," Dale said. "People are going to have to find a different place to park further away because a lot of people would park here along the street, but at least it's safe for the parade watchers."

What you need to know about closures for Mardi Gras

They will take place on the Seawall from 59th to 23rd Street.

The closures start at 9:00 a.m. If your vehicle is there, the city said you can't move it until the parade ends that night.

25th Street is closed from the Seawall to Market Street. It's not every day, but the first time this impacts festivities is next Saturday, the 22nd.

These closures may make it harder to get around, but the city hopes it will make the event safer to enjoy.

"It was lights," Dale explained. "It was beads. It was music. It was bands. Everything that you would think would be going on in New Orleans is happening right here in front of our house."

It is a party that Galveston is getting ready for, not just with the decorations, but a safety plan as well.

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