Archive There will be plenty of bead-tossing at the Mardi Gras River Parade — but no flashing, Paseo del Rio director Greg Gallaspy said. San Antonio's annual event is billed as a family-friendlier alternative to New Orleans' notorious bash.

Officially, Greg Gallaspy, executive director of the Paseo Del Rio Association, has to say that bead-throwing has no part in the Mardi Gras River Parade.

Unofficially, it's a different story.

“There's a city ordinance that we can't do that, but everyone ends up doing it, anyway,” Gallaspy said.

That's not to say that the annual parade along the River Walk is a crazed, “Girls Gone Wild” sort of event. In fact, the parade is billed as family-friendly and a low-key alternative to Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

“You are not going to see somebody flashing,” Gallaspy said. “You're just not going to see that.

And if it happens, they will never be in the parade again. That's not who we are.”

The parade features several barges with different krewes, each with its own theme and live band. The krewes represent River Walk businesses, such as Pat O'Brien's and Drury Plaza, as well as the mayor's office.

Officials are expecting 30,000 revelers to attend the parade. Snag a table at one of the many restaurants that line the River Walk for a comfortable seat to view the festivities.

The parade is led by King Rex — the person out of a group of nominees who, in a ceremony a week before the parade, eats the piece of King Cake containing the plastic baby.

“It'll be a lot of fun and a lot of noise and a lot of music,” Gallaspy said. “It's the only floating Mardi Gras parade that we know of.”

Jessica Belasco | 210SA Contributor