Bill Text: TX HCR50 | 2025-2026 | 89th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Designating Galveston as the official Mardi Gras Capital of Texas for a 10-year period ending in 2035.
Sponsorship: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2025-05-24 - Signed by the Governor [HCR50 Detail]
Download: Texas-2025-HCR50-Enrolled.html
| H.C.R. No. 50 | ||
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| WHEREAS, The celebration of Mardi Gras has a rich and | ||
| colorful history in Galveston, where it has become one of the city's | ||
| most anticipated annual events; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The first documented Mardi Gras festivities took | ||
| place in Galveston in 1867; revelers observed the holiday with | ||
| events that included a masquerade ball and a performance of William | ||
| Shakespeare's Henry IV, and over the ensuing decades, parades and | ||
| other larger gatherings began to be introduced; by the 1870s, Mardi | ||
| Gras in Galveston had evolved into a grander and more organized | ||
| affair, with krewes such as the Knights of Momus and the Knights of | ||
| Myth overseeing the planning of parades and balls; and | ||
| WHEREAS, During the early decades of the 1900s, various local | ||
| groups assumed responsibility for coordinating Mardi Gras events, | ||
| including the Galveston Booster Club, which merged with the | ||
| Galveston Regional Chamber of Commerce in 1937, beginning the | ||
| chamber's oversight of the celebration; after festivities went | ||
| dormant with the onset of World War II, private Mardi Gras | ||
| gatherings were held by churches, social clubs, and local families, | ||
| and that practice continued for more than four decades; in 1985, | ||
| businessman and developer George P. Mitchell and his wife, Cynthia | ||
| Woods Mitchell, led the effort to restore the tradition to its | ||
| former glory and reinstate Mardi Gras as a citywide extravaganza; | ||
| and | ||
| WHEREAS, Today, Galveston boasts one of the largest Mardi | ||
| Gras festivals in the country; the celebration spans the two weeks | ||
| preceding Lent and ends on Fat Tuesday; activities are concentrated | ||
| in Galveston's historic downtown area, along the beachfront, and on | ||
| Seawall Boulevard; the observance continues to encompass parades, | ||
| balcony parties, balls, and other timeless attractions, creating an | ||
| atmosphere of joy and revelry for those of all ages; and | ||
| WHEREAS, For more than 150 years, Galveston has nurtured a | ||
| rich Mardi Gras culture that is distinctly Texan in spirit, and the | ||
| enduring popularity of the event attests to the pride and | ||
| enthusiasm shared by area residents for an institution that is such | ||
| a vital part of the community's heritage; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas | ||
| hereby designate Galveston as the official Mardi Gras Capital of | ||
| Texas; and, be it further | ||
| RESOLVED, That, in accordance with the provisions of Section | ||
| 391.003(e), Government Code, this designation remain in effect | ||
| until the 10th anniversary of the date this resolution is finally | ||
| passed by the legislature. | ||
| Leo Wilson | ||
| Ward Johnson | ||
| Allen | ||
| Morales Shaw | ||
| ______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
| President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
| I certify that H.C.R. No. 50 was adopted by the House on May | ||
| 1, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 137, Nays 2, 4 present, not | ||
| voting. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
| I certify that H.C.R. No. 50 was adopted by the Senate on May | ||
| 9, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Secretary of the Senate | ||
| APPROVED: __________________ | ||
| Date | ||
| __________________ | ||
| Governor | ||
