The Order of Polka Dots are rolling at 6:30 p.m. tonight, marking the all-female parading group’s 75th anniversary.

If you are coming down to watch the milestone parade, you will need a place to park. With the Mobile Civic Center under construction, and parking limited near downtown, the city announced Wednesday it’s opening another lot.

Effective Thursday, the City will be activating the Alabama Department of Transportation’s property at 257 S. Royal St., slightly southwest of the Alabama Cruise Terminal and adjacent to Water St.

According to the city, “tens of thousands of people attended the parades in downtown Mobile last weekend” and that parking was readily available. But the city anticipates even larger crowds as the Carnival season progresses toward Mardi Gras Day on Tuesday, Feb. 13. Some of the parades next weekend are capable of attracting well over 100,000 people into downtown Mobile.

The additional parking lot will have the same hours of operation, parking rates and payment methods as the other Mardi Gras parking locations recently announced by the city. Paid public parking remains available for paradegoers at GulfQuest Maritime Museum at 155 Water St. Free parking, which is unfacilitated by the city, will be available at some designated areas under I-10 at the intersection of Water Street and Monroe Street.

All designated Mardi Gras parking areas will open for public parking two hours before the first parade of each day, and will be staffed until 10 p.m. each night. However, all the locations will remain open after 10 p.m. for those attending Mardi Gras balls and other functions in downtown Mobile. Parking in these locations have a flat fee of $20 for all-day parking. To encourage carpooling, an all-day rate of $10 is available to vehicles with three or more passengers.

Cash will not be accepted. The Premium Parking app or on-site kiosks accepting debit and credit cards are the two available payment methods.