Dunedin will stage Fat Tuesday parade; Chamber to lead street festival under partnership

The commission gave staff direction to stage a single Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras parade on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, with the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce managing a separate street-festival component. The vote authorizes a one-year partnership to transition event responsibilities after the Downtown Dunedin Merchants Association’s (DDMA) operations were folded into the Chamber earlier in the season.

Why it matters: Mardi Gras is a signature downtown event. Chamber and city leaders said the community wants the parade preserved; staff recommended a Fat Tuesday schedule (rather than Saturday) for public-safety and crowd-management reasons and proposed the city assume production of the parade while the Chamber focuses on food/beer/wine and vendor activation on the street.

Key points and costs: Staff estimated the city production cost for parade-related public-safety and staging support at roughly $34,000–$35,000 (porta-potties, light towers, staff overtime and other hard production costs). The Chamber said Visit St. Pete/Clearwater will provide a $25,000 marketing grant that can offset promotional costs; the City Manager and Chamber pledged to draft a memorandum of understanding to define roles and funding for this one-year transition.

Public comment and partners: Jeanette Donahue (Chamber interim president) and past-board members urged support; Gregory Bridal and other community volunteers said downtown businesses were willing to support food and beverage logistics and promoter duties. Commissioners emphasized the need for a short written agreement to document roles, insurance and cost responsibilities.

Outcome: Commission direction to proceed was unanimous. Staff will return with any MOU or letter-of-intent and finalize production details with the Chamber and Visit St. Pete/Clearwater.