The History of the Gulf Coast Carnival Association

An accomplished insurance executive, Ivan Spinner brings more than a decade of experience to his work as owner of Spinner Real Estate Holdings, a real estate investment company in Biloxi, Mississippi. An active member of the community, Ivan Spinner belongs to civic groups such as the Gulf Coast Carnival Association.

Along with New Orleans, Biloxi stands out as one of the centers for Mardi Gras celebrations in the United States. The Gulf Coast Carnival Association leads many of the Mardi Gras festivities in Biloxi, including the award-winning Mardi Gras float parade and the crowning of King d’Iberville and Queen Ixolib. 

The association dates to the first Mardi Gras parade in Biloxi, which took place in 1908 and included 17 floats. In 1916, an organization called the Biloxi Carnival and Literary Association was formed, with the goal of promoting Greek mythology through the floats in the Mardi Gras parade.

In the late 1920s, Biloxi’s Mardi Gras festivities began to spread throughout the Gulf Coast region, and in 1949, the Biloxi Carnival and Literary Association was rechristened the Gulf Coast Carnival Association. Since then, the organization has conducted the Mardi Gras parade each year, even when the city’s official Mardi Gras celebrations have been canceled due to natural disasters or other tragic events.