Mardis Gras may not be until next Tuesday, but the invites are rolling in. Seems lots of Denver’s party hounds are not willing to wait, and the celebration starts on Friday night.

Tabu is holding an MTV bash, with Real World Austin alums Johanna and Wes on hand as party hosts. Snag free drinks before 11 p.m. (one for the gents, unlimited for the ladies) and expect a wild, bead-draped crowd. RSVP to JFly Presents to get a reduced cover.

Also on Friday, The Church hosts Steve Porter as part of his Porterhouse World Tour, and it looks like it’s a birthday blowout too, so he’ll be in fine form behind the decks.

Saturday, The Church has a Mardis Gras party with a salsa flavor; get there by 9 p.m. for the free salsa lessons, and dance to live salsa bands all night.

Of course, there will be plenty left to do come Fat Tuesday itself, and those who want to skip town to celebrate can hit the huge bashes planned in the mountains (check out Vail, Aspen, and Keystone) for apres-ski insanity.

Want to stay closer to home? Hit Vinyl nightclub next Tuesday night for a huge, traditional Mardis Gras bash with drink specials, plenty of beads and masks, and a slew of local DJs.