This is how we roll in South Louisiana

Carnival in South Louisiana and outlying regions such as the Mississippi Gulf Coast and Mobile is made up of many “krewes” that host Carnival balls and parades, all leading up to the big day of Mardi Gras, which this year (2018) is Tuesday, Feb. 13. For those watching this revelry on TV it might appear as decadent chaos but underneath the fun it’s highly organized and doesn't change too much from year to year.

But occasionally, Carnival fun arises organically, groups that come together to fill an open spot for a parade, for instance, or to create an event in a non-utilized part of town. Take the Krewe de Canailles, for instance, in Lafayette, Louisiana, a town that has a regular parade schedule on streets bounded by barricades for safety reasons. People in Lafayette hate these barricades because they screw up traffic the rest of the time. The Krewe de Canailles formed as a non-profit group made up of “sub-krewes” to parade along streets without barricades and to fill an empty spot on the Friday before Mardi Gras.

 

Lost Bayou Ramblers

The word in Cajun French means “mischievous, tricky, shrewd,” a perfect description for a group of about 200 people in mocking costumes walking through town, throwing beads and other craziness to onlookers. The krewe parades for the first time this year on Friday, Feb. 9, beginning at 7 p.m. at the downtown Lafayette archway. New Natives Brass Band leads the parade as it travels the length of downtown’s Jefferson Street, through the historic Freetown-Port Rico neighborhood and ends with a party — of course — at an event space called Warehouse 535 where the Lost Bayou Ramblers will perform, a band that just won a Grammy for “Best Regional Roots Album.”

Costumes are expected to be unique with tongue-in-cheek nods to local celebrities and the like with unusual but sustainable and handmade throws and wooden doubloons. Spectators are encouraged to bring flashlights, costumes and noisemakers to the parade route.

Want to learn more? Check out this local newscast featuring the krewe's organizers. 

Weird, Wacky and Wild South is written by travel and food writer Chere Dastugue Coen who loves a wild and unusual Mardi Gras parade.

Get out of Mardi Gras free card

            People throw parties continuously during the Carnival season, especially if they live on a parade route. Nothing attracts partygoers like free food and beer and a place to pee!

            In Lafayette, Cajun Bail Bonds sits on prized parade real estate, at the corner of Vermilion and Lafayette streets, where all of Lafayette’s parades roll down and turn. This choice corner attracts hoards of people, and to keep them all happy on Mardi Gras Day Cajun Bail Bonds provides them with lunch.

            “Come out, grab a burger and get you some Cajun Bail Bonds swag,” they announced on their Facebook page for their 14th Annual Mardi Gras Cookout. “T-shirts, coozies, pens...and as always everything is free.”

            What’s the catch, to use a Mardi Gras pun?
            The year we stood in front of Cajun Bail Bonds — and enjoyed a really good hamburger — we also received their business card. Maybe those free burgers pay off in the end — with clients!