March 3: Mobile Chocolate Festival
The Grounds • 1035 Cody Rd. N
10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Sample all the chocolate you could want,  and do it for a good cause. Pick up sweet treats from various local vendors along Chocolate Bliss Way, develop your baking skills at the Mobile Fixture demonstration area and enter your designs to Project YumWay. Admission is $3 in advance and $5 on the day of the event. Proceeds benefit Penelope House.
March 3: American Cancer Society Chili Cook-off
Mardi Gras Park • Downtown Mobile
11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Bring your appetite to this spicy competition for the best chili in the Port City. Tickets are $10 and proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society.
March 11:Â JDRF Community One Walk
Five Rivers • 30945 Five Rivers Blvd., Spanish Fort.
1 p.m., check-in; 2 p.m., start. Walk for a cause! Join a group of passionate volunteers with one goal: to create a world without type 1 diabetes. Participate individually or as a team. Benefits the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
March 16 – 18: Fairhope Arts and Crafts Festival
Downtown Fairhope
​More than 230 exhibitors from across the nation will bring their best works to show and sell. Local art, live entertainment and unique cuisine will also be available for purchase on the streets of downtown Fairhope. Admission is free.​
March 17: St. Patrick’s Day Block Party
Callaghan’s Irish Social Club • 916 Charleston St.
11 a.m. – until. Green beer and live music are the perfect combination to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Catch The Red Clay Strays on Friday and The Mulligan Brothers, Blackwater Brass and Devon Gilfillian on Saturday. Admission is free.
March 21: Lyon Newell Charity Throws Meet
UMS-Wright Preparatory School • 65 Mobile St.
3:30 p.m. As many as 92 high schools from Alabama, Florida and Mississippi are invited to participate in this sporting and charity event to raise money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Greater Mobile MS Leadership Class and a scholarship fund in memory of former student athlete and UMS-Wright graduate Lyon Newell. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students.
March 22: Jason Mraz
​Saenger Theatre • 6 S Joachim St.
8 p.m. The soulful, pop-folk artist brings his signature sound to the Port City. Tickets range from $46 – $76.
March 22 – 25: Festival of Flowers
Providence Hospital • 6801 Airport Blvd.
9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Thur. – Sat.; 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sun. Celebrate the festival’s 25th anniversary by exploring life-size garden vignettes, floral and gardening seminars, beautiful floral displays and more. Blake Smisson will serve as lead designer, and Augusta Hyland Wilson will be the featured artist.
March 24: Downtown Cajun Cook-off
Cathedral Square • Downtown Mobile
10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Feast on Cajun cuisine from local restaurants as part of this annual event benefiting the Child Advocacy Center. Tickets are $13 in advance online, $15 at the gate.
March 24: Azalea Trail Run
Downtown Mobile
8 a.m., 10-K, 5-K; 9:30 a.m.,  2-K fun run. Thousands of runners race down the oak-shaded streets of downtown Mobile in this run presented by the Port City Pacers.
Photo by Justin Ruhl
