January 1: Polar Bear Dip
Flora-Bama Lounge & Package • 17401 Perdido Key Dr.
Noon. Ring in the new year with a cold splash in the Gulf! Afterward, warm up with a traditional New Year’s feast of cornbread, black-eyed peas and ham.
January 1 – 12: Riverside Ice
Cooper Riverside Park • Downtown Mobile
11 a.m. – 10 p.m., Mon. – Thurs.; 11 a.m. – 11 p.m., Fri. – Sat.; noon – 8 p.m., Sun. Lace up your skates for some winter fun on the ice at downtown Mobile's coolest attraction. Cost is $10 for adults and $8 for children 12 and under (including skates!). Free parking is available in the city lot at Water Street and Government Street.
January 1 – 17: Chocolate! The Exhibition
Gulf Coast Exploreum and Science Center • 65 Government St.
Explore our relationship with chocolate and the impact the cacao bean has had on tropical ecosystems by looking at original videos, scientific elements, interactive displays and about 150 objects. Be sure to stop by the Exploreum's chocolate store featuring everything from treats of international chocolatiers to spa products made with chocolate. Tickets are $18 for adults, $16 for youth (ages 13 – 17), $14 for children (ages 7 – 12) and $8 for Pre-K (ages 4 – 6).
January 9 – February 9: Mardi Gras 2016 Parades
Downtown Mobile and Other Locations
Laissez les bon temps rouler! Celebrate the carnival season with friends and family at one of the local parades rolling through the streets of Lower Alabama. Click here to view the complete parade schedule.
January 10: First Light Marathon
Atrium of Government Plaza • Downtown Mobile
7:30 a.m., marathon, half marathon, relay; 2 p.m., fun run and kid's marathon. Run for a cause beneath a canopy of oaks in the heart of downtown Mobile. The event consists of a full marathon, a half marathon, a five-person relay and a 1.2 mile fun run for both runners and walkers. Proceeds benefit L'Arche Mobile.
January 15 – 31: “Tartuffe”
Joe Jefferson Players • 11 S. Carlen St.
8 p.m. Fri. – Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Watch one of Moliere’s most famous theatrical comedies performed live by the Joe Jefferson Players. Tickets range from $10 – $20.
January 16: Fairhope Brewing Company Birthday Party
Fairhope Brewing Company • 914 Nichols Ave., Fairhope.
4 p.m. – 10 p.m. Celebrate FBC's 3rd Birthday with more than 30 beers on tap, food trucks and live music from Mitch Johnston and Rondale and the Kit Katz. Admission is $10 and includes a commemorative glass and one beer of your choice.
January 28: Grace Potter
Saenger Theatre • 6 S Joachim St.
6:30 p.m., doors open. 7 p.m., show. Don't miss the hit singer perform songs from her new solo album, “Midnight.” Special guest Eliza Hardy Jones will open the show. Tickets range from $15 – $50.
January 30: Reese's Senior Bowl
Ladd-Peebles Stadium • 1621 Virginia St.
3 p.m. Watch some of the nation's most talented college football players, including Mississippi State's Dak Prescott, TCU's Josh Doctson and Alabama's Kenyan Drake, play in the battle between North and South. Tickets range from $10 – $30. In addition to the game, be sure to stop by one of the other Senior Bowl events going on throughout the week, including FCA Chick-Fil-A Senior Bowl Rally on Jan. 27, Coca-Cola Meet the Players on Jan. 29, the Reese’s Senior Bowl Experience on Jan. 29, Food for Less Tailgate Party on Jan. 30 and Baumhower Tailgate Challenge on Jan. 30.
January 30: Mystic Mutts of Revelry 2016
Downtown Fairhope
1 p.m. Get your four-legged friend in the Carnival spirit in this walking Mardi Gras parade for the canine population. This year's theme is “Woof Trek, ” so prepare your best alien, spaceship and sci-fi themed costumes. Parade day registration is $5 per well-behaved, leashed and currently vaccinated dog and $10 per human escort age 6 years or older. All donations at MMOR will benefit The Haven, Fairhope's no-kill animal shelter.
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