The Lunar New Year -- The Year of the Fire Horse, Mardi Gras & Fat Tuesday!

In this post, we're going to share opportunities to join us in our Winter Support Drive, anchored by our Saugatuck Second Line on Fat Tuesday, and to learn more about these intriguing and overlapping cultural connections.

This is the sixth annual Saugatuck Second Line - Mardi Gras Pub Crawl, but the first time in history that it falls on the Lunar New Year, which brings in The Year of the Horse!

To lean into this historic moment, we're dedicating our February First Friday to talking and learning more about The Year of the Horse, and to make a herd of Fire Horses to bring to the Second Line!

Getting ready to attend Saugtuck Second Line:

Check out the event page where you can order Party Kits, reserve your dinner tickets, and plan your adventure.

Start at any bar you choose, and join in as we make our way through town and to the grand finale at The Southerner! The Saugatuck Second Line is free to attend, and all proceeds from the raffle, sponsorships, and donations help Red Horse Center provide equitable access to mental health, wellness, and professional development, integrating horses, dogs, and nature.

Transportation: Interurban is on board and staying open until 9 pm to accommodate the event. Download their app in advance, and you can request a ride through the app or call dispatch at 269-857-1416 to book a ride.

Sponsor the Raffle: We have a great crew of Pony Sponsors joining the fun and rounding out our raffle. You can see them all at the event page. We are still welcoming sponsored raffle prizes with your gift cards, wares, and experiences - so let us know if you'd like to throw down!

We're also accepting volunteers to sell raffle tickets in advance. We'll draw four super fabulous prize bundles at 8 pm on Fat Tuesday.'

Now that we got those logistics out of the way, we thought we'd share a deeper dive about how these traditions have come to be.

Why celebrate Fat Tuesday?

Red Horse celebrates Fat Tuesday with our fundraiser, Saugatuck Second Line - Mardi Gras Pub Crawl. It is an overlapping of passions, as our co-founder, Fred, leads Great Lakes Brass, a brass band dedicated to celebrating the music and culture of New Orleans. After establishing the Saugtuck Second Line with our friends and partners at The Southerner in 2020, Red Horse Center was born and eventually moved from sponsor to host.

From a Red Horse lens, Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday inspires our playful riff on a tradition, joyfully celebrating the resilience of community through music, art, & movement.

What's a Second Line?

Second Lines were born from associations known as Social Aid & Benevolent Societies, or Pleasure Clubs. These organizations were created by and for free people of color following the Civil War to provide support, education, and aid to their members, who could not gain access to those community supports due to racist systems in place.

These clubs also hosted parties and parades to celebrate their community, invite new members, and honor each other when they died, through traditions known as jazz funerals and second lines.

Over the years, as the culture and needs changed, the purpose of these clubs shifted. Their role as community anchors remained, and their traditions and celebrations, especially second lines – exciting walking parades that snake through the neighborhoods, continue today. 

Second Lines are ongoing testaments to the strength & vibrancy of communities coming together. Second Lines invite people to join in, creating fluid, living community circles.

The Saugatuck Second Line

Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday are synonymously referring to the eve of Ash Wednesday. The feast before the fast. Mardi Gras celebrations happen around the world, but New Orleans is known as the epicenter, which includes massive parades and region-wide hoopla.

Saugatuck Second Line was created in homage to the community-led celebrations and second lines that remove barriers and division between parade and spectators. It's our midwestern, herd-inspired take on joining together – walking, singing, and sharing community – come one, come all.

Come mid-February in Michigan, we like that it gets us out to see our neighbors in-person for a brief moment, and gets us looking forward to Spring!

New Orleans Culture

New Orleans is a multi-cultural place with a rich history and everlasting art and traditions. Its art, food, and music are celebrated worldwide. As we celebrate these beautiful aspects of its culture, we feel it's also important to recognize that within that history is also a trail of colonization, occupation, and systemic oppression - stories and issues with long, generational tails that we still grapple with today.

People from many cultures joined together in Congo Square, likely sharing rhythms and music before words. They formed bonds, built community, and created lasting art forms through their humanity, merging of cultures, and music.

We embrace the joy and connection of it all, and also respectfully hold space to honor the incredible human resilience of those who continued to stand up, stay strong, and share their voices despite facing ongoing oppression and prejudice.

Today, it remains as important as ever to find and share joy and healing through community. We hope to share community with you at this year's Saugatuck Second Line on Fat Tuesday and the Lunar New Year.

You can find more history about second lines on our SSL event page & GLB's Historic Resources page, which lists several articles, videos, and lessons.

The Lunar New Year brings in The Year of the Fire Horse (on Feb. 17th, Fat Tuesday!)

Dr. Scott McFarlane writes at The Year of the Fire Horse 2026: What It Means for Health, Energy, and Wellbeing

The Year of the Fire Horse in 2026 represents a rare convergence of intensity, vitality, and forward momentum. Occurring once every sixty years, this year carries strong implications for holistic health, physical health, emotional regulation, and how individuals relate to purpose, movement, and connection. Within Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Fire is the most yang of the Five Elements, governing warmth, consciousness, circulation, and the capacity for joy. When paired with the Horse—an emblem of independence and action—the result is a year that rewards clarity, resilience, and intentional movement.

ChineseNewYear.net shares:

Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, marks the start of a new zodiac cycle based on the Chinese lunar calendar. Each year, the date shifts within the Gregorian calendar. As we leave behind the introspective and intuitive Year of the Snake, the Year of the Horse gallops in with vibrant and fiery energy, symbolizing adventure, vitality, and momentum.

Wanna learn more and create a vibrant, colorful herd of Fire Horses to bring people together throughout the year? Join us on Feb. 6th!

Laissez les bon temps rouler...