diff --git a/releasenotes/notes/mariadb-rolling-upgrades-323510425c3c7751.yaml b/releasenotes/notes/mariadb-rolling-upgrades-323510425c3c7751.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..81d8c596a2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/releasenotes/notes/mariadb-rolling-upgrades-323510425c3c7751.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+---
+upgrade:
+  - During upgrades, container and service restarts for the mariadb/galera
+    cluster were being triggered multiple times and causing the cluster to
+    become unstable and often unrecoverable. This situation has been improved
+    immensely, and we now have tight control such that restarts of the galera
+    containers only need to happen once, and are done so in a controlled,
+    predictable and repeatable way.
diff --git a/scripts/run-upgrade.sh b/scripts/run-upgrade.sh
index 5b1569408f..524e0872a8 100755
--- a/scripts/run-upgrade.sh
+++ b/scripts/run-upgrade.sh
@@ -145,11 +145,24 @@ function main {
         RUN_TASKS+=("${UPGRADE_PLAYBOOKS}/deploy-config-changes.yml")
         RUN_TASKS+=("${UPGRADE_PLAYBOOKS}/user-secrets-adjustment.yml")
         RUN_TASKS+=("${UPGRADE_PLAYBOOKS}/db-collation-alter.yml")
-        RUN_TASKS+=("setup-hosts.yml --limit '!galera_all[0]'")
-        RUN_TASKS+=("lxc-containers-create.yml --limit galera_all[0]")
+        # we don't want to trigger galera container restarts yet
+        RUN_TASKS+=("setup-hosts.yml --limit '!galera_all'")
+        # add new container config to galera containers but don't restart
+        RUN_TASKS+=("lxc-containers-create.yml -e 'lxc_container_allow_restarts=false' --limit galera_all")
+	# rebuild the repo servers
+        RUN_TASKS+=("repo-install.yml")
         RUN_TASKS+=("${UPGRADE_PLAYBOOKS}/repo-server-pip-conf-removal.yml")
         RUN_TASKS+=("${UPGRADE_PLAYBOOKS}/old-hostname-compatibility.yml")
-        RUN_TASKS+=("setup-infrastructure.yml -e 'galera_upgrade=true' -e 'rabbitmq_upgrade=true'")
+        # explicitly perform mariadb upgrade
+        RUN_TASKS+=("galera-install.yml -e 'galera_upgrade=true'")
+        # explicitly perform controlled galera cluster restart
+        RUN_TASKS+=("${UPGRADE_PLAYBOOKS}/galera-cluster-rolling-restart.yml")
+        # individually run each of the remaining plays from setup-infrastructure
+        RUN_TASKS+=("haproxy-install.yml")
+        RUN_TASKS+=("memcached-install.yml")
+        RUN_TASKS+=("rabbitmq-install.yml -e 'rabbitmq_upgrade=true'")
+        RUN_TASKS+=("utility-install.yml")
+        RUN_TASKS+=("rsyslog-install.yml")
         RUN_TASKS+=("${UPGRADE_PLAYBOOKS}/memcached-flush.yml")
         RUN_TASKS+=("setup-openstack.yml")
         # Run the tasks in order
diff --git a/scripts/upgrade-utilities/playbooks/galera-cluster-rolling-restart.yml b/scripts/upgrade-utilities/playbooks/galera-cluster-rolling-restart.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e125b99d13
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/upgrade-utilities/playbooks/galera-cluster-rolling-restart.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+---
+# Copyright 2016, Rackspace US, Inc.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+- name: Gracefully restart mariadb/galera cluster
+  hosts: galera_all
+  serial: 1
+  max_fail_percentage: 0
+  gather_facts: false
+  user: root
+  tasks:
+    - name: Stop mariadb
+      service:
+        name: mysql
+        state: stopped
+      retries: 5
+      delay: 10
+
+    - name: Stop container
+      lxc_container:
+        name: "{{ inventory_hostname }}"
+        state: "stopped"
+      delegate_to: "{{ physical_host }}"
+
+    - name: Start container
+      lxc_container:
+        name: "{{ inventory_hostname }}"
+        state: "started"
+      delegate_to: "{{ physical_host }}"
+
+  post_tasks:
+    - name: Wait for mariadb port 3306 to be available
+      local_action:
+        module: wait_for
+        port: "3306"
+        host: "{{ ansible_ssh_host | default(inventory_hostname) }}"
+        search_regex: MariaDB
+      retries: 10
+      delay: 10
+
+    - name: Check that WSREP is ready and Synced
+      shell: "/usr/bin/mysqladmin --defaults-file=/etc/mysql/debian.cnf extended-status | egrep '(wsrep_local_state_comment)'"
+      register: mysql_ready
+      until:
+        - mysql_ready.rc == 0
+        - (mysql_ready.stdout).find("Synced") != -1
+      retries: 60
+      delay: 1