Tuesday, Feb. 24 is Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), and tradition demands that it's once again time to dust off the costumes, enjoy some Cajun food, and drink like a fish. This year though, instead of searching around for the best places, why not join up with a tour to guide you to the happenings?

Grub Crawl USA, a local promoter of social dining events, is holding it's first annual Grub Crawl at 5 p.m. beginning at Sofia Restaurant on 11th and H Street, where a special Cajun menu will include Louisiana-style gumbo and shrimp po'boys. There, participants will prepare for the night by by donning masks and getting their faces painted by local Sacramento artists. Parking will be free in the Sheraton Grand Hotel Garage on 13th between I and J Street after 6 p.m.

Then the crawl will proceed to the Sheraton, where participants can eat and drink at Morgan's Bistro before stopping at Pyramid Brewing company, the Parlare EuroLounge and Table 260. The group plans to spend an hour at each location, and each restaurant puts out their best free appetizers and serves specially-priced drinks to the participants.

The event costs $25 per person and people can register at grubcrawlusa.com all the way up until the time of the event, or just show up and pay at the door. Cline Moore, founder of Grub Crawl said, "It's a fun way to get to know Sacramento".

Sacramento Press searched for other other local celebrations, but most were already held last weekend or could not be confirmed.

Will you be attending the Crawl? What are some other local celebrations of Mardi Gras happening in Sacramento? How will you be celebrating?

*Photos courtesy Sofia Restaurant