Before moving to Louisiana, I admit that my knowledge of Mardi Gras was pretty stereotypical. This post is definitely doing to break some of those stereotypes for you, and give you some of the best Mardi Gras insider tips in Lafayette, Louisiana!
You’re right, I said Mardi Gras in Lafayette, not New Orleans! Why? Because contrary to popular belief throughout the US (and probably the world), Mardi Gras is not just ONE parade, or ONE day – and it’s not JUST in New Orleans! Although the New Orleans Mardi Gras parades (did you know there are around 80 parades each year JUST in New Orleans alone!) are the most widely televised and known.
There are Mardi Gras celebrations from Texas to Alabama and everywhere in between! But Lafayette is the second largest Mardi Gras celebration area outside of New Orleans hosting about 15 parades within 2 weeks. So if you’re looking to skip some of the bars, booze, and crowds in NOLA, I HIGHLY recommend the more family friendly parades in Lafayette.
INSIDER TIP: If you can’t stay in Lafayette for more than a few days, make sure to be there for the last few days of Mardi Gras! I recommend staying for the Saturday-Tuesday parades at bare minimum if possible. That would at least get you to the Bonaparte parade, Children’s Parade, Queen Evangeline’s Parade, King Gabriel’s Parade, the Lafayette Mardi Gras Parade and the Independent Parade. (with Tuesday having the most parades in one day) If you can stay for two weeks you’ll also get to include the Krewe of Carnivale en Rio and Krewe of Canailles parades among others as well!
Celebrating Mardi Gras in Lafayette, LA
Lafayette is the heart of Cajun country, and Mardi Gras here is steeped in rich cultural traditions. It’s worth the time to learn about the history of the Acadian people, their music, and their local cuisine. While you’re in town, savor the flavors of authentic Cajun cuisine, including gumbo, jambalaya, seafood boil, and crawfish etouffee! Don’t forget to grab some King Cake and beignets while you’re here!
When is Mardi Gras?
While there is one techincal Mardi Gras Day, locals celebrate Mardi Gras for FIVE weeks! The minute Christmas is over Louisianans gear up for the Mardi Gras season! The official “Mardi Gras Day” is actually the LAST Tuesday of our Mardi Gras season, also known as “Fat Tuesday”. It’s the ending of the Carnival season. (The official start to the Mardi Gras season is called the Twelfth Night.)
Fat Tuesday, AKA Mardi Gras Day, which signifies the end of the celebrations, is the day before Ash Wednesday, or the first of Lent for observing religions. The general south Louisiana culture is deeply rooted in Catholicism, but there are other religions who observe Ash Wednesday as well.
You can check the Lafayette Travel page for updated Mardi Gras parade schedules and times.
We’ve been to the last 4 years of Mardi Gras parades in Lafayette and let me tell you – they are a treat! There are FAR less crowds than New Orleans, and I don’t have to worry at all about bringing my kids! Look for the police horses – they are always the first to start the parade! I love that they are usually close enough for the kids to reach out and pet!
FUN FACT: All schools in the general Acadiana area are off school for 3-5 days during Mardi Gras season!
Where to Park for Mardi Gras in Lafayette
INSIDER TIP: Pre-plan out your trip! Look on Google maps and search for small neighborhoods along the parade route for quick and easy parking! There’s NO need to pay for parking anywhere if you don’t want to.
I recommend arriving just over an hour early to make sure roads aren’t blocked off. (Roads close down one hour before parades start and barricades are placed on the road so nobody can run into the streets during the parades.) Although you can absolutely show up 20-30 minutes before the parades start and still navigate your way to the parade route with a little more effort and walking.
If you don’t want to fuss with searching for an easy parking spot you can park at Cajun Field for usually around $10 or so.
One thing that is guaranteed at a Lafayette Mardi Gras parade other than floats and beads are school bands and dancers – and a LOT of them! Louisiana knows how to bring the music! Above you’ll see the band from the University of Louisiana Lafayette which is just down the road from the parade route!
If you are traveling with a disabled person, head to the 500 block of Jefferson Boulevard (between South Orange and South Sterling streets) and at Vermilion and Lee Street and St. Julien and Johnston Street (in front of the police command post) and you’ll find space there.
Aside from the fun of catching beads, I absolutely LOVE seeing the artwork on the floats! Some parades have better art pieces than others, and New Orleans is certainly the place to go for the best floats. But Lafayette can hold it’s own on the floats, especially at the bigger parades like Bonaparte and Gabriel!
What to bring for the Mardi Gras parades
Depending on the time of day you go, I highly recommend sunscreen, water bottles, snacks, chairs and bags. It’s not uncommon to see locals bringing coolers and camping out for the day which is what we do on the last Tuesday since there are 3 parades back to back. And don’t forget to go potty before you leave otherwise you’re stuck tracking down the port-o-potties!
BRING LARGE sturdy bags, backpacks, or wagons! Every year when we prepare for the Mardi Gras parades, each of my children get a sturdy canvas bag or backpack, and I carry an extra one or two for good measure. Although small cars are easier to maneuver when parking, sometimes we bring our pickup truck, and then throw all of our beads and such into suitcases in the truck bed after the parade!
Do They Throw Beads during Mardi Gras Parades in Lafayette?
YES!!! You will not leave without hoardes of beads, cups, toys, doubloons and anything else that is thrown from parade floats unless you have for some reason purposefully dodged all the throws. It is highly probably that you will end up with beads on you without even trying to catch them! So watch out for flying objects!
It is not uncommon for people to bring ladders, nets, and other “extensions” to get noticed in the hopes of landing some BIG beads!
INSIDER TIP: If you have small babies and really want to go to Mardi Gras, I highly recommend covering them with something strong to protect them from flying objects. Do not sit right next to the barricades – stand off way in the distance behind the crowds. It is not uncommon to be hit by items being thrown from the floats. Beads & swag are thrown quite a distance down the sidewalks so please stand far in a distance to observe.
Challenge your kids to see if they can wear ALL of their beads the entire day – I’m betting that won’t last long! We can’t even wear all of our beads for the duration of the parades! They get surprisingly heavy and hot!
Mardi Gras parades in Lafayette are so much fun! But let’s be honest, Louisiana knows how to throw a parade for everything! Even our Halloween and Christmas parades have plenty of Mardi Gras beads thrown at it! Enjoy every second of it! The outfits, the crazy hats, the extremely large beads – all of it!
What types of items are thrown during Mardi Gras Parades?
At most, if not all, Mardi Gras parades you’ll come home with plenty of beads and cups for sure! Plush toys, balls, frisbees, and other trinkets are very common as well! There IS a lot of recycling that goes on with Mardi Gras swag so you’ll often get doubloons and cups for OTHER parades which is fun! I even end up with New Orleans swag sometimes!
Every year locals flock on Facebook to see what the weirdest thing they caught during the parade was. Usually it’s something like ramen noodles or bags of rice!
Being a local, we all have our favorite parades, but typically most of them throw the same types of things with a few exceptions listed below.
Krewe de Canailles – This is a very artsy creative sustainable walking parade and instead of throwing items like beads that will probably turn into trash, they hand out handmade art that the participants have made all year! The parade is much shorter than your typical Mardi Gras parade but it’s one of my favorites because of the creativity! Below you’ll see a bunch of photos from the Krewe de Canailles 2023 parade. If you have kids, warn them that because everything is handmade, NOT everyone walks away with a trinket. Only two of my five family members received a gift of art last year.
SIDE NOTE – If you happen to be in town and are willing to venture over to New Orleans, check out the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus. Similar to the Krewe de Canailles, it’s a walking parade where participants design their own costumes and contraptions – but with a SCI-FI twist!
Krewe of Bonaparte and King Gabriel parades – These are the larger of the local Lafayette parades (with Bonaparte being my fav!), and although they do throw many of the same things as other Mardi Gras parades (beads, cups, etc.), if you’re really lucky you’ll catch a specially designed Bonaparte or King Gabriel beads – sometimes that light up! Since the Bonaparte parade is at night we have a tendency to catch light up toys there.
What is a krewe?
You’ll see a lot of “KREWE” words floating around in regards to Mardi Gras. A “krewe” is just a group or organization! Above you’ll see at the Canailles walking parade that it is made up of different “krewes” or themed groups of people, like the “KREWE” of Mardi Jaws. Each theme of Mardi Gras group is a “krewe” as opposed to a group.
This was our most treasured piece of art that we received – a limited edition stamped MARDI JAWS artwork! It’s proudly displayed in our house!
The creativity of the Canailles parade is definitely inspiring and is a favorite parade – even for my kids! There are plenty of statistics out there about the waste of beads from these parades every year (although there are also a lot of recycling programs in Louisiana) so I appreciate the effort spent on the artwork in this parade.
Staying in Lafayette for Mardi Gras
If you are wanting to stay in Lafayette for Mardi Gras, in the best case scenario, I HIGHLY recommend looking for somewhere within walking distance of the parade route a year in advance. That’s not to say you can’t find accommodations closer to the Mardi Gras season, but they do sell out quickly and cost a pretty penny. Search for airbnbs, bed and breakfast locations and of course, hotels.
Staying within waking distance of the parade route is an ideal luxury because you can walk back “home” between parades for bathroom breaks, meals, potty stops and kids naptime.
Laissez le bon temps rouler!
(Let the good times roll!)
Other Places to Visit in or Near Lafayette When You’re in Town:
- the swamp boardwalk at the Lafayette Visitor’s Center
- Vermillionville
- LARC’s Acadian Village
- Acadiana Nature Center
- Lafayette Science Museum
- Zoosiana
- Avery Island & the Tabasco Factory
- Rip Van Winkle Gardens
- Cypremorte Point State Park
- Chicot State Park
- Lake Fausse Pointe State Park
- Palmetto Island State Park
Leave a Reply