What To Expect at Lafayette Mardi Gras 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 is the last day of eating rich foods and consuming alcohol, which was historically forbidden during Lent.

When is Mardi Gras?

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. Therefore, Mardi Gras can fall on any day between March 23^rd and April 25^th. Maybe you didn’t know that Easter is actually tired to the moon and occurs on the first food moon following a spring equinox.

The 2020 Lafayette Mardi Gras dates run from the 22^nd February until the 25^th February 2020.

Where is Lafayette Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras is held in Cajun Field in Lafayette which is a town in southern Louisiana, USA.

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 colours? 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 sing 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 courirs then return to the town and make a communal gumbo for everyone to enjoy!

Lafayette Mardi Gras Events 2020

Friday, 21^st February,2020

• 6:30 pm – Mardi Gras Kick-off Parade

Saturday: 22^nd February, 2020

• 2:00 pm – Children’s Mardi Gras Parade
• 6:00 pm – Krewe of Bonaparte Parade

Monday, 24^th February, 2020

• 6:00 pm – Queen’s Parade
• 8:00 pm – Krewe of Triton Parade

Shrove Tuesday, 25th February, 2020

• 10:00 am – King’s Parade
• 1:00 pm – Lafayette, LA Mardi Gras Association Parade
• 2:00 pm – Fox 15 Independent Parade
• 8:00 pm – Greater Southwest Louisiana Mardi Gras Association Pageant and Ball @ Heymann Performing Arts Centre, Lafayette, LA.

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. To get a quote for a flight click here.

By Train: Amtrak 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 your not to far away, to get a quote for a rental car click here

Where to stay in Lafayette?

Check out some accommodation options here.