Caroline Johnson beamed as she handed out beaded necklaces, her vibrant handkerchief skirt twirling around her.

Johnson is a volunteer for Krewe de Columbi-Ya-Ya and the daughter of Lauren Johnson, this year’s queen of the organization.

“I love seeing the kids, the dogs,” Johnson said. “That’s why I’m carrying all these beads. So, like, any kid I see, I’m just going to be handing them out to anyone who wants beads.”

She was one of many volunteers helping bring Krewe de Columbi-Ya-Ya’s 16th annual Mardi Gras festival to life. This year’s installment is the first year that the festival and Valentine’s Day fell on the same day.

Each year, attendees flood City Roots Urban Farm in purple, green and gold — the traditional colors of the Mardi Gras, a Catholic celebration marking the last day before the austere period of Lent that leads to the joy of Easter.

This year, many participants added red to the Mardi Gras mix, blending the festive hues with Valentine’s Day spirit.

Dogs trotted through the crowd with heart-printed bandanas — some draped with Mardi Gras beads, while the sound of live local bands echoed through the crowds.

Among the attendees was Pauline Southerland. She said she felt the occasion called for embracing both celebrations, blending Valentine’s flair with Mardi Gras extravagance. She wanted to “go all out” for Mardi Gras.

For Johnson, the celebration meant more than costumes and beads.

“This is a great festival for Valentine’s Day, especially because we’re just a community full of love, just wanting to spread happiness and everything,” Johnson said.

That sense of community and love carries over into the festival’s charitable donations.

While some of the money from ticket purchases goes toward paying the bands and keeping up the space, the rest of the money goes to charities, Krewe de Columbi-Ya-Ya co-founder and Columbia restaurateur Kristian Niemi said.

“We choose our charities based on the interests and passions of one of our founders, who passed away, Tom Hall,” Niemi said. “So, usually, it’s local animal shelters or outdoor hunting and fishing charities.”

All members of Krewe de Columbi-Ya-Ya are volunteers and do not get paid to help during the festival, Niemi said.

“They all do it inside of a love of doing it,” Niemi said.