GALVESTON — The good times rolled slowly down Seawall Boulevard on Saturday afternoon as the first parades of the island’s annual Mardi Gras celebrations kicked off.

Although the city has cut costs this year and done away with out-of-town merchants and live music performances, the effects of these measures, if any, were not to be seen Saturday afternoon. Revelers lined the streets, catching beads and laughing. Many saw no difference from this year’s kick-off and last year’s.

Colin Daniels, 15, said he thinks this year has more activities than last year, despite the cost-cutting measures.

“There’s not really much of a difference (as a result of the measures),” Daniels, an O’Connell College Preparatory School student, said.

“The temperature’s higher than last year, so I think there’s actually a better chance that people will come out then there was last year.”

He said the bands weren’t the main reason people came to Mardi Gras anyway.

When asked if the lack of live music affected her plans for Mardi Gras, Vickie Francil said “No, not at all.”

Francil, adorned in a floppy purple hat with green maribou trim, said she has lived in Galveston for about 18 years and has been to “many” Mardi Gras celebrations in that time.

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Marvy Gibbs of San Leon and John Zogheau of Houston call for beads being thrown from the Fish Tales balcony.

She said she comes to Mardi Gras for the parades and to throw beads, and her interest in the live music has waned more in recent years.

“The music acts were kind of going downhill anyway, so they might as well not have them,” she said.

Francil said she also thinks the local businesses would get a lot more income as a result of the city cutting out-of-town street vendors.

Theresa Falcon, manager of The Spot Restaurant at 32nd Street and Seawall Boulevard said her business has not been affected by the city’s new measures, but the relatively higher temperatures have been good for business.

Charlotte Craven of Beaumont, a bead and accessory street vendor, said business was going well for her Saturday. This will be her second year as a Mardi Gras merchant, and she said the only difference she knew of was that, this year, she is restricted to Seawall Boulevard, whereas last year she was allowed to go to the downtown area and sell her wares after the parades had ended.

But she also said she thinks the warmer weather will bring more revelers.