COLUMBIA, S.C. — Weeks after the founder of Columbia's storied Mardi Gras celebration died, the 14th annual festival kicked off in his honor.
Saturday was a day of celebration and remembrance. City Roots and other local businesses hosted the festival, drawing hundreds of families from across Columbia. But this one was a little different for co-founder Kristian Niemi. Just weeks ago, Tom Hall, the driving force behind Columbia's Mardi Gras festival, died.
"It was his creativity, his drive to bring the community together, his love of music, his love of Mardi Gras - all this Mardi Gras," Niemi said. "It was an opportunity for him to bring all his friends together and then have them bring their friends; it was such an organic mashup of all those things that came to kind of ignite."
"This one is really a celebration of him," he added. "Of his life and everything that he did."
Close friend Will Prioleau said Hall was remembered as an icon to many in the Columbia music scene.
"People would say, 'Look what Tom did!' and we'd all be so happy that he did that," he said. "Just a wonderful guy; we'll never know his like again."
Prioleau sported a 'Live like Tom' sticker on Saturday and covered his car in pictures of Tom, celebrating the way he would've wanted - and enjoying the music.
"This thing began in charity, and that's what it's all about, just helping people," he said. "So today, we're going to raise as much money as we can. Up until the day he died, Tom wanted another stage and another five bands, so I think Tom would love it, and we love him too."