INDIANAPOLIS — The Historic Athenaeum will once again present Karneval at the Basile Theatre located inside the Historic Athenaeum on March 1.
“Karneval is basically German Mardi Gras,” Craig Mince said.
Mince, president of the Athenaeum Foundation, says Karneval is an elevated spin on Mardi Gras and a time to celebrate the season of excess ahead of Lent.
“It’s a masquerade ball, so bring your masquerade masks,” Mince said. “We'll have all kinds of fun ways to celebrate Mardi Gras or Karneval, the way the Germans do it.”
Traditions like appointing a court to preside over the celebration.
“We have a prince and princess, much like they do it down in Mardi Gras. It's that history,” Mince said. “It's that heritage that really shines through.”
Meghan DeMars Kiger and Matt Kiger will serve as the Prinzessin and Prinz of this year’s Karneval celebration.
The pre-party begins at 7:11 p.m., while the blue-and-white-themed main party starts at 8:11 p.m.
“Eleven is a big number for Karneval,” Mince said. “It's one of the few events that we get to do in celebration with our sister city, Cologne.”
Click here to learn more about Karneval presented by the Athenaeum.
