Artvoice has spruced-up its annual Mardi Gras Parade and party night, adjusting the parade route and adding a scavenger hunt to the festivities.

Buffalo adores Fat Tuesday, especially because of its local eccentricities. Take a step back and think: Mardi Gras is a weeknight of partying in the dead of Buffalo winter that’s New Orleans-themed and loaded with beads, booze and, well, you can probably guess the third “b.” It’s not bratwurst.

The festive floats will follow a new parade route this year—see the image to the right. Paraders—anyone who’s registered to be involved or eager members of the public—can meet at Symphony Circle before 5 p.m. Tuesday and then gallivant down Allen, Main, Pearl, Chippewa and Delaware with the usual crew of zombies, drag queens and Cajun-themed partiers.

For the new scavenger hunt, Artvoice has created a Facebook group called “Artvoice Mardi Gras 2013” (use that as a search term) and you must ask for approval by clicking “Join group.”

The hunt will be completed by taking photos of places specified by an Artvoice post at 2 p.m. Tuesday in that group—which has yet to be created—and these photos must be uploaded to the group as a gallery by 5 p.m. Wednesday to be eligible for one of three grand prizes.

The buzz you procure from the parade can be easily continued after, as Artvoice will sponsor parties to support the Give 4 Greatness campaign, which keeps 100% of the money raised from the $5 wrist-band for free entry into all participating bars. There are countless specials and entertainment acts at each venue, so it’s worth exploring a number of spots rather than honing in on one in particular.

Here’s a helpful list with an accompanying Google Map with the destinations marked.

Visit the following Facebook pages to see some of the food and drink specials—there are 26 venues involved in total, stemming from both Allen Street and Chippewa:

Soho Burger Bar (Oyster po’ boys and chicken sausage gumbo).
Fat Bob’s Smokehouse: (Jambalaya, bouillabaisse, cornmeal fried oysters)
Colter Bay Grill
Cantino Loco
City Tavern
Allen Street Hardware
Mulligan’s Brick Bar
Duke’s Bohemian Grove Bar: (Gumbo, boiled crawfish, pulled pork sandwiches)

(Photos courtesy of Chuck Alaimo from last year’s bar crawl and parade—see a gallery here).