Mardi Gras
Shreveport and Bossier City, Louisiana
To outsiders, Mardi Gras may conjure caricatures of wild crowds cavorting in the streets of New Orleans. And that’s part of it. But many other Southern cities celebrate the five-week season that begins on January 6 — Epiphany or Three Kings Day — and runs through Fat Tuesday before Ash Wednesday kicks off Lent.
Shreveport and Bossier City, the sister cities that hold hands over the Red River in northwestern Louisiana, know how to celebrate Mardi Gras season in a big way — but in a different way than New Orleans.
“Our Mardi Gras [parades] are very family-friendly, and there are even parts of the parade routes that are usually alcohol-free,” said Aly Velasquez, marketing associate for the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau.
Shreveport and Bossier City have several parades every year, but the Krewe of Centaur and the Krewe of Gemini are the largest. They drew more than 400,000 combined spectators last year. For groups, the cities throw the Red River Mardi Gras Bash every year; the “huge party” is held in a climate-controlled tent front and center on the Krewe of Centaur route. The bash is reserved only for groups of 10 or more — everyone must be 21 or older — and features live music, Cajun food, king cake, beads and a T-shirt.
“It’s right on the parade route, so everyone attending will have a front-row seat rather than having to compete with the crowds,” Velasquez said.
Although Centaur and Gemini are the largest and longest parades, locals have their own favorites. The Krewe of Highland is a quirky parade where some in the crowd catch ramen noodles, hot dogs and moon pies along with beads. Elaborately costumed pets and their owners march in the Krewe of Barkus and Meoux Pet Parade. The Krewe of Harambee marches through downtown Shreveport on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and is thought to be the only Mardi Gras parade dedicated to King.
Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
During the annual Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the floats float. In December, the parade marked its 46th year as “the greatest show on H20.”
For more than two hours, 100 elaborately decorated and extravagantly lighted boats cruise past spectators that line 12 miles of the New River’s banks. Groups can reserve space in the grandstand viewing area at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, where “it is almost like a festival within the parade,” said Kathy Keleher, marketing and parade director for the Winterfest Boat Parade. “There’s live entertainment, food and a lot of fun things for them to do before the parade.”
The grandstand area welcomes more than 7,000 spectators with reserved or assigned seating and another 3,000 walk-ins, she said. For ticketed seating, the parade has quite a few motorcoach and charter companies with groups of 20 to 40 people, such as AARP Florida, which reserved seats this year as a thank-you for a group of volunteers.
But groups can also participate in the parade by riding on a boat. They can reserve space on a boat or charter a ship — some can hold up to 300 people, although most groups have 20 to 50 people on average, she said. Groups can reserve small pontoon boats; midsize fishing charters; or large, professionally decorated ships, where passengers can enjoy catered food and drinks, live music and more.
