When is Lafayette Mardi Gras 2024?
The date for Mardi Gras changes every year and that is because Ash Wednesday occurs 40 days before Easter and of course Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras is the day before Ash Wednesday..
The 2024 Lafayette Mardi Gras dates run from Saturday, February 10 until Mardi Gras Day which is on Tuesday February 13, 2024.
Where is Lafayette Mardi Gras?
Mardi Gras is held in Cajun Field in Lafayette which is a town in southern Louisiana, USA.
What is Mardi Gras in Lafayette?
Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday in French. It is the day prior to Ash Wednesday and Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. Shrove Tuesday was the last day of eating rich foods and alcohol that is forbidden during Lent.
How do they celebrate Mardi Gras in Lafayette?
Lafayette Mardi Gras is celebrated in a similar way to New Orleans. It features lots of parades with marching brass bands, incredible floats that throw beads and doubloons. It also has Mardi Gras Indians; king cakes and extravagant Mardi Gras Balls complete with a Mardi Gras King and Queen.
The Lafayette Mardi Gras is a family friendly celebration and there are loads of carnival rides, live music, food and drink vendors and fun for the whole family.
Lafayette Mardi Gras Traditions
What are the Mardi Gras colors? The official Mardi Gras colors are green, purple and gold. Purple is a color that represents justice. Gold is a color that represents power. And green is a color that represents faith.
Another tradition is a Mardi Gras King Cake, which is a tasty pastry which contains a tiny plastic baby. When the King Cake is cut up, the person who finds the baby in a piece of cake, must host the party and buy the cake the following year.
Mardi Gras is known for its throws, mainly colorful strings of beads. They also throw cups, toys, trinkets and doubloons.
What is Courir de Mardi Gras?
In the rural regions of Lafayette, they have a unique tradition called Courir de Mardi Gras which is where masked men on horseback travel the countryside knocking on doors and singing songs and dance in exchange for ingredients to make a gumbo.
Homeowners throw a chicken for them to catch. Often, they are accompanied by musicians to add more merriment and joy. The couriers then return to the town and make a communal gumbo for everyone to enjoy!
Lafayette Mardi Gras Events 2024 (TBA)
2024 Lafayette Parish Parade Schedule (TBC)
Starting Friday February 17 until Mardi Gras Day on February 21, there will be a festival grounds set up. Le Festival de Mardi Gras à Lafayette will take place in Cajun Field, Lafayette. It will feature carnival rides, games, live entertainment, music, food and drink venues and loads of parades will roll through the festival grounds.
Friday, February 10, 2023
- Krewe de Canailles Walking Parade. Downtown Lafayette, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 11, 2023
- Carencro Mardi Gras Parade. Starts at Carencro High ends by Carencro Community Center. 10 am.
- Krewe des Chiens. Downtown, Lafayette. 12 p.m. 337-984-6522.
- Krewe of Carnivale en Rio Mardi Gras Parade. Downtown to Cajun Field, Lafayette. 6:30 pm.
Sunday, February 12, 2023
- Courir de Mardi Gras – Old-Fashion Mardi Gras Run. Vermilionville, 300 Fisher Rd., Lafayette.
- Scott Mardi Gras Parade. Scott. 1 pm.
Friday, February 17, 2023
- Heroes Parade. Pontiac Point to Cajun Field, Lafayette. 6:30 pm.
Saturday, February 18, 2023
- Krewe of Bonaparte Mardi Gras Parade. Downtown to Cajun Field, Lafayette. 6:30 p.m.
- Children’s Parade. Downtown to Cajun Field, Lafayette. 12:30 p.m.
- Youngsville Mardi Gras Parade. Youngsville. Public Works building to Fountain View.
Monday, February 20, 2023
- Queen Evangeline’s Parade. Downtown to Cajun Field, Lafayette. 6 p.m.
Mardi Gras Day, Tuesday February 21, 2023
- Mardi Gras Show at Miami Moon. Miami Moon, Lafayette.
- King Gabriel’s Parade. Downtown to Cajun Field, Lafayette. 10 am.
- Lafayette Mardi Gras Festival Parade. Downtown to Cajun Field, Lafayette. 1 pm.
- Independent Parade. Downtown to Cajun Field, Lafayette. 2:30 pm.
- Southwest Mardi Gras Association Pageant & Ball. Heymann Performing Arts Center and Frem F. Boustany Convention Center, 1373 S College Rd., Lafayette.
Where to stay in Lafayette?
Check out Booking.com for some accommodation options in Lafayette here.
Book your Hotel and Flight for the Lafayette Mardi Gras
How to get to Lafayette?
- By Plane: You can fly to Lafayette Regional Airport which connects to several major cities like Dallas, Houston, and Atlanta; providing connections with national and international flights.
- By Train: Amtrack also provides service to Lafayette via the Sunset Limited which runs between Los Angeles and New Orleans.
- By Road: You can take a greyhound bus to Lafayette, which of course connects to the rest of the country. And you can always drive if you’re not too far away.
